


Billy Batson and his Adventures with Gods and Goddesses

by FallingInToThePages



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Shazam! (2019), Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Billy Batson Needs a Hug, Billy-centric, Billy’s living his best life, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Gods, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Homelessness, One Shot Collection, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Slightly Original Characters, Swearing, chaotic energy, gods and goddess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21730819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingInToThePages/pseuds/FallingInToThePages
Summary: A collection of loosely connected one-shots where Billy Batson is constantly kept on his toes by his Pantheon and other deities, all while trying to keep his identity secret from the other Justice League members.
Relationships: Billy Batson & Alfred Pennyworth, Billy Batson & Bruce Wayne, Billy Batson & Clark Kent, Billy Batson & Diana (Wonder Woman), Billy Batson & Justice League, Billy Batson & Mary Bromfield & Eugene Choi & Darla Dudley & Freddy Freeman & Pedro Peña, Billy Batson & The Team (Young Justice)
Comments: 33
Kudos: 377





	1. Hestia

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!!  
> I’m so excited that you have decided to read this collection of “one-shots” :)  
> umm, I say “one-shots” because (If you don't know me) I am anything but short winded. So expect some mighty long chapters and Part 2 + 3s my friends.  
> Anyways, I’ve kind of been sucked into the DCU via Shazam, and have grown to adore our boy Billy. So— i decided do what I do with many characters I love and place him in soul crushing situations that make me cry, as well as make tooth-rooting fluff that makes me barf. A lovely balance really :)) so strap in and let’s have some fun.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tiresome mission, Hestia decides to abduct Billy from the Watchtower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> So just to act as a disclaimer, I'm not amazingly well-versed with the DCU and don't read or keep up with any recent comics. The most I know comes from the old Teen Titans show, Wonder Woman movie, the Shazam movie, and watching older Superman movies :) so a lot of my one-shots will hold some headcanons and some characterizations that are inspired by my thoughts on other fanfics, as well as my more formal research.  
> So just to get some headcanons + stuff clear:  
> 1\. I'll be writing Billy as an older kid (16-ish), but he won't be super based on the movie -- still homeless and orphaned  
> 2\. I'll probably explore the whole immortal and godly form situation and write my own ideas into what it means to be the Champion  
> 3\. I won't outright villianize some other DCU characters, cause that's my biggest pet peeve when people just ignore character development and thoughts.  
> and yeah ! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)

The League and Billy had just gotten back from a mission when it had happened.

The mission had been one of those convoluted space expenditures where they dealt with some diabolic being on some planet and they had been forced to be on their feet for fifteen (15) hours a day for a week straight. Having so little time for rest and relaxation, almost all of the core Justice League members were outwardly exhausted. However, Billy's exhaustion didn't show in the way others did due to his different forms.

His exhaustion came in the form of a spiking pain that arched behind his eyes, the dimmed-florescent lights overhead piercing his Champion forms' sensitive eyes and making him squint. He also feel the weary nature of his magic straining throughout his powered form as though he was back in the experimenting phase of his superhero career.

Billy felt himself flinch and cover his ears as he was suddenly affronted by Flash's snapping fingers. The quick force of the action made Billy's muscled back hit the back of his chair in a way that the futuristic material creaked ominously. Billy found himself blinking rapidly to get rid of the light-headed feeling as he focused his gaze on Flash's joking-turned-concerned face.

"Hey man, are you feeling good?" Billy heard him ask in a tone that was much softer than he'd ever heard the man use before, and he found himself dazedly glancing around the deathly silent conference room while the other heroes looked back at him with varying levels of concern.

Before Billy could bring his heavy tongue to reply, a glimmer of orange firelight caught his (and everyone else's) attention. Feeling like he was moving in slow motion, Billy turned himself to look over his shoulder towards the corner of the room. Once his vision focused, Billy felt a warm sense of comfort come at the sight of the slightly hunched woman tending to a hearth. She held a slightly plump form, long dark hair that rivaled Diana's, and sported a simple yet complex looking stola with a veil tossed over her shoulder. Billy felt a smile spread across his adult face at the sight of the woman.

"Hey Hestia," Billy greeted the woman, his Champion form's voice croaky and faint due to his exhaustion. Despite the quietness of his voice, Hestia lifted her head towards him and smiled. While he and the others could see her face clearly, the rest of her form seemed to billow into the darkness and meld with the firelight; her figure seemed to disappear into the unknown. 

"Hello Champion," Hestia replied, her voice a soothing and gentle thing that enveloped everyone as thickly as a swath of bandages. Given this complete warmth and attention, Billy had to gulp down the tears and the longing that he felt climbing up his throat. Before he could attempt to stand up with his boulder heavy limbs, Hestia stood from her little stool.

As if being held in a petrified stupor, the other superheroes were forced to watch as this random woman approached one of their most valuable and powerful teammates. Overhead, the lights seemed to dim and flicker under her presence, the modern technology somehow behaving like the flickering of a candle under her power. The orange glow generating from her hearth lit her back, shadowing her face as she leaned over the mighty Champion of the gods.

"You've called, and I've come to help," Hestia reassured the boy trapped in an adults body, easily interpreting his confused yet relieved expression with her dark eyes. Her spindly, char-covered hand came to rest over Billy's eyes and he felt himself teleport-ed away from the Watchtower.

As quickly as Billy had been whisked away from the station in space, he soon found himself coming to consciousness with the feeling of hard rock under his muscular shoulder blades. His ears caught the soft pitter-patter of rain-drops cascading down the rock walls and overhanging rock formations and he felt at ease. His eyes remained closed, the light green shine that he knew was coming from the Rock of Eternity bright enough for him to hesitate opening his sensitive eyes. Billy felt a sigh escape his lips as Hestia ran a hand through his hair, her manicured and animal-fat smelling hand easing away the migraine that had built behind his eyes each day he couldn't de-power and recharge from his Champion form.

"Hmm, why would you hold your form for so long child?" The woman asked him in a serene voice, affectionately cupping his face when he cautiously opened his eyes to gaze up at her char covered face. Through the smudges and soot, he could see her delicately tanned face under the filth and could do nothing but stare up into her deep umber eyes with his own barely open and vulnerable corn-flower. He couldn't from a response, he was so tired-- and it definitely didn't help that she was caressing his face in soothing circles, her very presence pushing this deep peace and feeling of security within his being. He felt her chuckle tickle his ears as her form seemed to blur even more than usual in front of his eyes, the meld of dark and light of her being flickering in front of his eyes like embers in a dying fire. He felt himself yawn and could only comply when she told him to say the wizard's name.

While he felt the loudness of the lightning and thunder resonate throughout his body and rattle his bones, Billy felt great relief wash over his being. It felt similar to when he would relax and massage his aching muscles after waking up from the troughs of horrible nightmares from past missions and past homes that he had been forced into. Before everything faded to the warm blackness of a well deserved rest, Billy felt the soft pressing of lips against his forehead and was overwhelmed by the smell of fire.

\-----------------------------( page break )----------------------------------

In another dimension, the disappearance of the woman and Captain Marvel seemed to break the grasp that the woman's power had held over the others; effectively destroying the peace that she had pressed upon their beings and used to stifle their actions. Batman and Superman hastily stood up once the power disappeared, and though they stood with a sort of confidence, they were just as confused as the others. As everyone began to ask each other questions like, "What was that?" and "Who was that?" Wonder Woman was the only person who remained quiet. Though the others were caught in the wave of hysteria and worry over the well-being of their seemingly indestructible teammate, the statuesque and contemplative position of the warrior princess caught a few of the members' attention.

"Diana, do you know who that was?" Batman asked her, his gruff voice capturing the attention of some of the more unaware members (Hal and Berry), who quickly quieted their discussions to listen in on the conversation. Diana blinked at the question, turning her previously unaware gaze onto the man with a sharp look that would have made anyone else flinch from its intensity.

"Yes, there's no need to panic," she informed them with a sincere voice, her mind still recalling some of the sweet memories that she held of Hestia and her own interactions with the strong yet unfortunately overshadowed goddess. "That was Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth and Home," she explained further, knowing that that would be the next line of questioning due to her constant, habitual observations of her team members.

While a lot of them knew that Diana, Aquaman, and Captain Marvel were intimately connected to the Greek Gods and Goddess, many of them still found it hard to understand the concept of Gods or beings as large and omnipresent as Thanatos or Demeter having a hand within their lives or the cycle of the world. Many of them shifted in discomfort at the mention of a Goddess, while Aquaman nodded in understanding.

"I thought I recognized her aura," he mused aloud, his orange clad arms crossing in front of his chest as he scratched his chin contemplatively with one of his gloved hands. "Although, I have to wonder why she came to Marvel-- especially given how she has remained cooped up in Olympus for several millennia at this point," he pondered in confusion, his thoughts mirroring the observation that had been bothering Diana since she had felt the Goddess' aura. 

Hal scratched the back of his head in thought, "Maybe she just likes him?" He stated in an unsure voice, not really knowing the temperament of these particular beings besides what he had read in myths. Diana and Aquaman shared a contemplative look before shaking their head in unison, "There must be more to it then that," Diana told them, "The Greek Gods and Goddess may behave like humans at points, but they are still disconnected from our logical thought processes due to their immortality," she informed them, subtly flexing her knowledge in psychology to get to the basis of the weird interaction that they just witnessed.

"Why don't we just wait and ask Marvel once he is, um, healed by Hestia," Clark told them in a firm voice, not liking the kind of conspiratorial manner that they were discussing their teammate with-- especially since Marvel had proven himself to be trustworthy over the two years that he had been a part of the League. While Bruce and a few other members were paranoid due to the man's still hidden identity, Clark could understand the man's value of privacy after having a few discussions with him about the matter.

The rest of the team looked over at Clark in thought, making him expand upon his reasoning, "I mean, he was clearly out of it despite his Stamina of Atlas power-thing, Hestia must have been sent as a messenger to get him to safety or something," he shrugged, also not really knowing if there was a heavily set hierarchy or way of doing things that wasn't depicted in the folk lore about the Greek figures.

Diana furrowed her brow in thought, "Perhaps," she agreed with the guess, knowing that Hestia's non-passive and rather pliable mannerisms made it so that she was often taken advantage of by the more dominant Gods and Goddess. "My father could have asked her to appear before Marvel, given how he has provided his power to the Champion," she shrugged easily, settling back in her seat now that she had a reasonable answer to the appearance of the often overlooked Goddess.

Comforted by Diana's change in demeanor, the rest of the members settled into the back of their seats and Bruce finished analyzing and compacting everything they needed for an official mission report excluding Marvel's information.

\-----------------------------( page break )----------------------------------

It was a few days after the meeting and Billy was extremely well rested from Hestia's intervention. Waking up on the stone floor of the dimension that held the Rock of Eternity in his malnourished, teenage form had been the best experience after the horrible week he had just endured. Billy was small for his age due to his inconsistent nourishment growing up and it showed in his knobby limbs and visible rib-cage as he stretched. The quiet ambiance of the cave-like room was broken by the barely noticeable cracking and groaning of his joints as he sat up and rolled his neck. Billy let out a content groan and rubbed his hands into his sleep-heavy face. Blinking his bleary eyes clear, Billy was startled to see Hestia sitting not too far away from him. Hestia was staring into the Olympian flames of her hearth, the sound of it barely above a whisper, indicating that she had just finished doing a sacrificial burning of food offerings-- the intense heat of the fire disseminating the meats and breads almost instantly.

Feeling the gaze of her temporary "ward", Hestia turned her head to examine him. Standing up carefully as to not injure her perpetually curved back, Hestia seemed to float over to the boy and billow around him as she kneeled next to him. Her shoulders hunched towards him in a long-since natural position, her long black hair and a portion of her veil cascading down the sides of her face.

"How are you doing Billy?" She asked the teenager in a concerned voice, her dark umber colored eyes searching his slight form for any injuries. Billy gave Hestia a grateful smile as he gently hugged her cramped form, "I feel so much better," he told her in a soft voice, "Thank you for helping me Hestia," Billy added earnestly. Not used to being shown much attention or gratitude from others besides Billy and a few of her younger siblings, his words seemed to settle deeply into the very tissue of her heart-- nestling in a nook that was filled with other instances of compassion and gratitude. The goddess gave him a tighter squeeze, her strong arms enveloping the boy warmly like a heated house after a day playing in freshly fallen snow.

They sat like that for a few seconds before they split apart, the boy finding himself face to face with a teary, always-youthful woman who had been long since trapped in a position of isolation and servitude to her younger siblings. "Thank you, Billy," she replied just as earnestly, her lips coming to kiss his forehead as she wrapped him in her arms once more. Billy loved Hestia's hugs, as the immortal goddess knew exactly how to tuck him under her chin in a way that provided both of them the love and security of a family member that they just didn't have. Hestia loved hugging Billy simply because she was very much still a Big Sister and she had never really gotten to dote on a younger sibling since Zeus had gotten them out of their father's stomach.

Relishing in their embrace, Billy could have fallen asleep once more just from the natural warmth that Hestia generated. Sensing this, Hestia gave a deep chuckle and hesitantly withdrew from the boy. She cupped his cheek and gazed into his face with a smile, "I feel as though your League will be quite interested in where you've been for the past few days," she told the boy, her gentle and deep voice resonating through the stone corridors and large chamber that they rested in.

Giving a little yawn and shrugging nonchalantly, Billy told her, "I can just explain it to them later, I mean," he brushed his slender fingers through his greasy black hair, "I'm the Champion of the Gods, so I don't see why they would be confused," he scoffed as to expel some of the anxiety in his chest, having the inkling that they would still be confused since Solomon kept on grouching over their "lack of awareness to a higher being," and sometimes called them, "daft simpletons who have sparks of intelligence," whenever he felt like they said something idiotic. Billy had really tried to held his laughter during a few of conferences. At the moment, a deeply rooted insecurity made him worry that they would be mad at him, a thought that made him subconsciously furrow his brow in trepidation.

Hestia accidentally smeared a bit of soot on his face as she rubbed his cheek with her thumb in a fond manner at his Devil-may-care attitude. "Small, human minds," she suggested simply, her attention moving onto other areas of Billy's well-being as she prodded his ribs. "Are you hungry?" She asked him in a predictable manner, as she often mother-henned him to death whenever she could snatch him away from the hectic hustle of his life. Giving her a slight eye-roll, Billy nodded, sighing as he was promptly picked up by the goddess in a far too childish manner-- grudgingly allowing the woman to hold him on her hip as she moved towards her stool/throne.

While Billy was sixteen and he had told Hestia off for carrying him this way plenty of times in the past, the immortal goddess never agreed with his argument of being too old since she stated that he was practically still a baby in her eyes. "Fragile and careless like a toddler looking to touch the fire because it's pretty," were some of her exact thoughts on his age.

Billy watched Hestia make food appear through her will and power from the cushioned stool, the food appearing in different stages before them so that they weren't too weird and bland for Billy to eat. It was a strange thing, seeing a loaf of bread be kneaded by invisible hands and baked without a stove. Once finished, Hestia enlarged her throne into it's more realistic size and sat next to the teenager as she handed him a homemade plate with a towering amount of food on it. Billy thanked her once more and dug into the meal, knowing that the goddess wanted him to have it all for himself due to another series of arguments where Billy had tried to get the idea of self-care across to the woman (like an absolute hypocrite).

While he ate, Billy absent-mindedly pulled out his communicator from where he kept it in his pocket, the device's tracking system effectively altered due to the interference of Solomon and Zeus. He almost choked to death on his food when he saw all of the unread messages and unanswered calls that were staring back at him ominously, not too different from a gang of crooks holding bats and pocket-knifes looking to skin him alive.

"Hestia, my ass is fucking grass," Billy yelped in a high-pitched voice as he coughed out the choke-able sizes of bread with the help of her mighty arms thumping on his back. Billy dazedly pushed himself up from her throne and seemed to jump around in a panic, making the picturesque image of a chicken running around with its head cut off.

Hestia tugged on his arm with an eye-roll, "Calm down child," she ordered in a stern voice, imposing her calm and almost hypnotic powers onto the boy's psyche with practiced ease. An all too familiar feeling of calm washed over Billy as he felt his breath settle from the hyperventilating speed it had been going from his panic. "Just relax," she continued to tell the boy as she tugged his all-too still body down on the throne with her, her hands grounding as she guided the boy away from his worries. She bodily turned him to face her, "Do I need to come with you to ensure that your well-being is safe?" She asked him seriously, having never seen the boy react so hysterically over a few missed calls and texts.

Blinking out of the calm, Billy shook his head bashfully as he looked away from Hestia's intense stare, "No, I was just surprised and-- and already worried about what they were thinking," Billy admitted truthfully, hunching towards her as he fidgeted with his hands. Hestia patted his arm softly, "Everything will work out in the end, they'll come to understand child," she reassured him, knowing from meeting the League members in person and viewing their souls that they weren't malicious by nature. 

"Why don't you finish up eating before you turn into a skeleton," Hestia teased him in a gentle tone, effectively helping the boy push the thought of the League members to the back of his mind with the promise of food and her company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I also hope that I didn't write any of the DCU characters too OOC :0.  
> Anyways, thanks for reading. :)


	2. Horror-ible Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During an interesting fight with the Legion of Doom, things take a turn for the worst and Captain Marvel has to fend off three deities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!  
> I'm so excited that you guys liked my first chapter <3  
> This one's a bit more of me sticking my hand into the DCU and testing out characters while putting my own spin on things, so don't be shy to tell me if anything seems OOC. :)  
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!

If there was one way that he loved to start his mornings, Billy loved starting them with a Justice League fight.

The rapid beeping of his communicator would pull him from his restless sleep and adrenaline would almost instantly spike throughout his body as he sat up and and pulled it towards him. Upon his mildew-y mattress with its tattered blankets that barely kept him warm from the autumnal wind coming in through the shattered window by his bed, Billy blearily looked at the message for this particular morning, which read: ALL MEMBERS REPORT TO GOTHAM CITY, LEGION OF DOOM, CODE RED.

Raising his eyebrows briefly at the cocky move to attack Batman's domain, Billy hurriedly scrambled out of his bed and sprinted to the top floor of the abandoned dump of a house that lay on the outskirts of Fawcett City. Coming to a clunky window with a crumbling frame, Billy opened it to the partially flat roof and easily transformed once on it.

Billy wasted very little time getting to Gotham City as he reached into the Speed of Mercury with an expert, metaphorical hand. Kind of like recalling a word or an answer to a math problem. The world blurred around him, the trees and buildings blurring together like fruit in a blender as he flew by them, the gust of his acceleration ruffling the leaves and rattling the near by window panes and causing the electrical lines to wobble and disturb the birds perched on the wires.

Billy effectively pulled himself out of the speed as he halted himself above a startled Nightwing, the costumed man giving a jump at the appearance of the beefy, happy-go-lucky Champion. Billy found himself instantly ducking a blast of ice from Captain Cold's freeze-ray as well as the both of the swerving to the side as one of Doctor Sivana's nasty little inventions looked to splice the two in half. 

"Geez, I feel so welcomed," Billy found himself quipping in a silly voice before sending a blast of lightning to destroy the army of robots attacking a statue of the city's founder. 

"Be nice Captain, they have their own way of doing things," Nightwing joked as he unnecessarily back-flipped off of a near-by railing to avoid a follow up from Captain Cold.

"Wish I brushed up on my Villain-nese before heading out," Billy laughed as he easily grabbed a robot heading for Nightwing's turned back and broke it over his knee. After he shocked a few more robots, Billy looked around the town-square that they were fighting in to get a read on the situation. Many of the other league members were fighting in pairs like he and Nightwing were, the couples taking on one or two villains as effectively as they could. Deciding to stall the two geniuses, Billy decided to start up a conversation while they danced and flew around each other.

"I thought you swore off fighting with the Legion, Sivana?" Billy asked the scientist as he threw another robot away from Nightwing and towards an unsuspecting Brainiac who had been sneaking up on a near-by Aquaman, the blow of metal on metal made the android give out an almost hilariously out-of-place R2D2-esque screech as his green humanoid form was plowed over by the heavy robot. The four of them paused minutely to glance towards the advanced being in bewilderment, as did a few other groups of villains and heroes who had been shocked by the sound.

However, the confusion was overlooked for the fight as the motion returned in a few seconds and Sivana answered with his signature, maniacal laughter, "Heh! Heh! Heh! Big Red Cheese, quite daft you are to take my words so seriously," he taunted the Champion as paused in his gigantic robotic suit as to twiddle with his dinky little mustache. Billy snickered at the little eye-twitch that he caught from behind Captain Cold's signature visor.

It seemed like the thief was already familiar with the mad scientist's tendency to monologue in the short time that they had known each other. The plan to defeat the two came upon him in a very straight forward manner-- it being so simple and cliche that Billy could hear Solomon sigh loudly and could even envision the pseudo-god thudding his head against an invisible table due to his wasted wisdom and battle strategy. 

"Why don't you tell me why, Doctor?" Billy implored the doctor in an innocent tone, spotting the all too familiar gleam that glittered behind the man's circular glasses that meant that the man was really heated.Billy really liked that gleam since it kind of mirrored the spotlight that was the man's bald head. Before Sivana could really start gabbing, unfortunately saving him from a beating from the now irritable Captain Cold, Nightwing and Billy's entertainment was interrupted by the crowing laugh of the Scarecrow over the sounds of the fight.

All four of them turned to look at the garishly thin man with his burlap-mask obscured face as he stood on top of an overturned car, the glass cracking under his black boots. "Thank you, thank you," he crowed in a high-pitched voice, tapping a fork against a tank of his Fear gas. "I want to thank you all for volunteering to act as guinea pigs for my experiment," he laughed gleefully as his own teammates looked at him with hostile expressions.

The Joker stepped forward with a taunting grin, "Dear Crane, I hope you remember that some of us are immune to your little fumes," he sneered at the man with a deadly smile, not liking the idea of getting experimented on or betrayed, "You better get down from there and join us in the fight, or else you'll find yourself on the end of a pitch fork," the Joker snickered a little hysterically after he made a little, "bah-dum-tss," sound at the weird threat/joke(?).

Some grumbled along with him in trepidation at the turn of events, although Sivana began to gloat over his safe spot in the robot, "I told you all that he was unpredictable-- You sniveling worms never listen to me," the Doctor scolded in a know-it-all tone, yelping in surprise when his robot was swept off its feet by an irritated Bizarro. The clone really hated the scientist.

"Bad scientist needs nap time," he grunted as he pounded on the super strength resistant glass, his chalky skin coloring in frustration as his fists pounded harmlessly against the glass, the scientist's comments of "Stupid oaf," and "Off beast!" not really helping the giant calm down. Seeing the team of villains crumbling in front of him as more began to argue and some tried to contain Bizarro, the Scarecrow smiled fiendishly as he fell to the background of the chaotic environment.

Fiddling with the skull-shaped frequency emitter, he ended up accidentally dropping it with a yelp as Captain Cold's passed out body was tossed his way, the blue themed villain/anti-hero having been snatched and tossed by Bizarro from where he had been bemusedly watching the clone beat the robot. While the man's costume had soft fur in places, the weight and sharpness of his accessories brought the slight form of Jonathon Crane down to the ground, absolutely shattering a few of the man's ribs and causing him to drop the skull, the switch getting jostled into the highest setting.

An extremely high-pitched sound pierced the battle field and extended to a five mile radius. Some of the near-by window-panes shattered at the high frequency, it's waves short and choppy as they easily penetrated the minds of those able to experience the fear and even those a little more resistant to Crane's fear gases. The more susceptible villains and heroes outright collapsed onto the questionable streets of Gotham while a few like Marvel and the Joker fell to their knees in pain. Despite the different levels of resistance, everyone experienced the similar rising feeling of fear and dread form within their chests as they were assaulted with horrible hallucinations of their loved ones dying and of horrible monsters coming to finish them off.

While most were crippled by the frequencies, Billy found himself gasping out in relief as he blindly grasped on to the Courage of Achilles, the phantom fear and crippling imagery still aching in his psyche as he stood up from his knees. Shaking off the tingles, Billy shrewdly scanned the town square, his eyes widening at the sight of the three deities hovering over the battle field.

While the little confrontation wasn't enough to attract the attention or Ares or Enyo, Billy wasn't really surprised to see the embodiment's of Fear, Terror, and Discord descend upon his fallen friends and foe. The figures looked like harbingers of death, their matching black togas and stola catching the wind ominously as their wispy forms seemed to drift and cover the morning sky like a pair of fingers snuffing out a candle. Catching sight of the twins' fiery eyes and their matching golden manes of hair, Billy braced his shaky legs and channeled Achilles' power more directly as he made towards their position over Cheetah.

"What do you three think you're doing here?" He growled at them menacingly, his blue eyes starting to glow from the power of his Pantheon. The three didn't necessarily gulp but they did spare glances at each other as to see if they were all ready to ride or die. Billy watched them closely, knowing from previous encounters that things could go to hell if he allowed them to mess around even a little bit.

Being the more confident deity out of the bunch, Eris snarled at Billy, "Scram child, we have a right to act upon clear offerings such as this," her round face seemed to glow from the distress and disorder that she was surrounded by, her very being lighting up at the energy within the air. Phobos and Deimos looked very similar to her, their matching faces alight and red eyes slightly glazed over with the abundance of fear that the heroes and villains held for the lost loved ones and battle-related trauma that plagued their psyche.

Billy cracked his neck in trepidation and clenched his fists tightly, "This is not an offering made to you, this was an human fiddling around with things that he doesn't understand," Billy told them gravely, trying to persuade the three to leave or to at least move so that he could destroy the skull shaped device.

Before Eris could argue her point more firmly, a gasp that stood out louder from the whimpering and crying from those around them startled the four into looking down. They made eye contact with the Joker, who had been slowly crippled by the frequencies until he was apparently able to overcome them at this point.

"What in the Bejeezus are those things?" The demented man gasped out as he forced his nerve-wracked limbs to push his upper body up, "The things in my head, um, tend to be--not that," he muttered to himself as he scrubbed at his face, trying to get a grasp on his already gun-shot and curb-stomped sanity. 

The deities rolled their eyes at the human before turning to face Billy once more, "I don't see why you think yourself a God, puny mortal," she snarled, not holding back her anger towards the boy as she prodded him with an aggressive finger.

Faced with the immortal strength and anger of the Goddess and her intruding powers, Billy felt his non-enhanced psyche quiver as her powers of disorder and chaos seeped through the links of magic that intertwined his mortal form to his Champion form. He felt fear and discomfort rise within his chest when faced with the anger, his PTSD from the anger and violence that he experienced when he lived with his uncle rearing its ugly head when in the presence of two beings that encouraged such fears. 

Billy felt a whimper slip through his lips as he was held in the air by Phobos and Deimos, the two smiling in an unhinged manner as Eris effectively weakened the annoying Champion's resolve, the three of them bitter at the notion that a weak mortal could receive more respect than all of them combined.

The spiteful actions of the Gods and Goddess were interrupted when Eris was squirted in the face with a squirt gun. Narrowing her eyes in barely concealed annoyance, Eris and the other deities turned their gazes to look at the weakly standing Joker, the man holding a brightly covered water gun in his gloved hands.

Joker looked at his gun with raised eyebrows, "Oops, wrong gun," he murmured to himself before tossing the squirt gun at the three and grabbing out a cartoon-ishly large gun from his back pocket. The three raised their eyebrows at the gale of the mortal, "Mortal, those weapons will do nothing but anger us," Deimos warned the man with a sharkish smile, amused to see how things will play out between the four of them. Joker muttered a bit more things before he surprised them by shooting at the skull-shaped device, missing a few times before he was able to destroy the device into a thousand, glittery pieces.

"I'd get the hell out of here before you all get you're asses handed to you," Joker advised them with a weird clarity, before turning towards the downed Jonathon Crane that was passed-out nearby and shooting the man in the gut with a demented glint in his eye. The noise of the gunshot and the lack of frequency allowed some of the more enhanced heroes and super-villains to shakily stand up and gap at the deities.

Eris, Deimos, and Phobos shared concerned looks before officially deciding to leave once they saw Princess Diana and Aquaman stand up and look towards them with rapidly clearing eyes. "Until next time," Eris hissed out as she took her hand off of Billy, the other two dropping the weakened Champion onto the sidewalk and the three of them disappearing before anyone could do anything.

Diana ran up to the uncharacteristically silent and still hero, her weak legs giving out just as she reached his prone form. The warrior princess lifted Billy's head gently and sighed once she was faced with glazed over eyes, the Champion having been directly assaulted by the three deities to the extent that he appeared to be trapped within the recesses of his mind.

Diana's attention was quickly drawn towards the wavering cry that came from Batman as much of the Legion of Doom made their escape, the only ones too weak to flee being Crane and Doctor Sivana, one bleeding out while the other was trapped in his robot-- it having been turned off by the high frequencies. The mad scientist was angrily pounding against the glass, his face red and sweaty from the lack of ventilation and the stress of getting captured in such an idiotic manner.

Much of the Justice League was able to recover, the more human heroes still quivering from the phantom panic and pain that the machine had brought. Diana was startled out of her observation by the soft, little whimpers escaping the downed man's lips, pleas of "Please don't," and "Leave me alone," reaching her ears. Staring at the man with wide eyes, Diana felt Superman's soft hand rest on her shoulder as he squatted down near her, his handsome, tear-stained features scrunched up in worry for the Champion. 

"Is he still trapped in the hallucinations from Crane?" The Kryptonian asked the Greek princess in a concerned voice, having expected the man to already have fought his way out due to his power-set.

Diana shook her head, "He was attacked by the Fear and Terror Gods Phobos and Deimos, as well as the Goddess of Discord, Eris," she told the man as she looked down at the vulnerable and scared expression of the Champion in her lap, "They are much stronger than Crane's inventions and could have easily negated his powers when banded together," she explained in a steady tone. Clark made a slightly distressed noise, especially when Marvel's pleas rose in vigor, the noises and their forms attracting the attentions of the other members. 

"Is he alright?" Batman asked them in a gruff tone as the others came closer, the caped crusader still heavily affected from the memories of his mother and father getting killed but just putting on a strong face. Diana gave the same explanation for the rest of the group, who all gave the man pitying and sympathetic looks.

Making up his mind on what to do now, Clark stood up and assessed the damage that the Legion had made, "We should get everyone who is injured back to the Medical Bay, and those who feel well enough are appointed to help clean the damage and to hand Crane and Sivana over to the proper authorities," he ordered, watching as Gotham officials began to arrive at the scene now that the frequencies and battle had cleared. He watched as Commissioner Gordon came up to them, his strides even and strong despite stepping on glass and small pieces of shrapnel that littered the ground. Clark nudged Batman and gestured for him to give the officer a quick chat before he inevitably dragged the man up to the Watchtower. 

Seeing that Clark had everything under control, Diana allowed Hal to use his ring to transport Marvel's prone form, the man's concentration having been hard to maintain until he had calmed down enough to connect with his powers once more. Diana helped clean up the damage alongside Aquaman; one of the other Green Lanterns who had been called (John Stewart); and a recently called Zatanna who hadn't been apart of the fight earlier. Some of the other stand-by heroes were arriving within the minute as they were informed of the events that had taken place. Hal and Superman helped round up the more affected members like Flash, J'onn, and Batman and got them to the nearest zeta-beam with Captain Marvel's form drifting behind them.

Once at the tower, Hal settled Marvel into an infirmary bed while Clark informed the newest recruit Cyborg on what had happened and how most of them were in some state of shock from the intense frequencies and PTSD-triggering memories. Nightwing had tagged along with the group and was reassuring a small robin who had been watching the fight break down--seeming to have apparently snuck after the two since he had been "grounded" by Batman. Hal, while worried for the young boy's mental health from being exposed to the frequencies, couldn't help but chuckle at his witty remarks and whining at Nightwing's mother-henning.

Standing next to Marvel's form, Hal's chuckle easily drew the young men's attention away from a still jittery and quiet Batman and the two meandered up to him after patting the man's arm. "What do you think you're laughing at, um, Mr.Green Lantern?" The young robin asked in a slightly pissed yet polite voice, seeming to remind himself to be nice due to Nightwing's hidden glare and nudge.

"Nothing really little dude, how'ya guys feeling by the way?" He asked the both of them in a relaxed voice as he checked the two kids over for any wounds or noticeable signs of mental distress.

The new Robin made a disgusted sound at his worry and crossed his arms, "Don't baby me, Lantern," he growled in a weirdly deep voice for his thin, boyish frame, making Hal raise his eyebrows at the two of them before turning his focus on Marvel.

"Alright-y kiddo," he replied easily as he physically moved the Champion into a more comfortable position, having only been able to gently plop the man down on the bed while he was in a fetal position. "What's wrong with him?" Robin asked curiously, pulling up a chair while Nightwing went back to Bruce's bed as to reassure the man that everything was fine, essentially deciding that Jason was now Hal's problem. 

"Hmm, well, he was attacked by some fear gods and goddesses," Hal explained in a simplified manner, sighing sadly when he found that he couldn't really help his normally cheerful teammate much more after moving him. "He's kind of stuck in his head," Hal added when he turned to face the boy, smiling when he saw the furrowed brows and frown on his slightly tan, yet still Gotham-ly pale face. "You're telling me Gods and Goddesses are real?" The boy scoffed out, not really wanting to believe the concept of a deity(-ies) watching over humanity due to the horrible things he's seen on the streets.

Hal chuckled and nodded, "Yep! It's really just another list of crazy things to add to this world," Hal thought aloud, however, before Jason could reply to the man that he was beginning to like, the both of them startled when Captain Marvel shot up from the bed with a cry. Tears were running down his face and he was sobbing and gasping loudly, seeming so beyond dazed that he didn't initially register Hal's presence when the man went to comfort him. 

"Where's my mommy and daddy?" He whimpered out softly, his dazed and far-too-young eyes falling onto Hal's when the Lantern brought his face close to observe his fallen teammate. Hal gulped at the uncomfortable question, his eyes flickering to the others who were watching with similarly wide-eyes, all of them unsure of what to do with the delirious man without upsetting him further. Hal caught the movement of Robin out of the side of his peripheral vision and almost scolded the boy when the boy jumped onto the bed, but he found himself faltering when the young boy grabbed the Champions hand.

Capturing the teary-eyed Champion's attention, Billy flinched at the quick movement of the side-kick and almost squirmed away if Hal hadn't been holding him in a comforting/steely embrace. "It's going to be alright-- sir," Jason found himself saying, having to bite his tongue harshly when he found himself wanting to say, "kid," as he had often reassured younger street kids in a similar manner. 

Billy gave a sniffle, "But-t-t, T-they're gone and it's so cold," he whispered to the boy, "It's scary too, the, the..." Billy trailed off as he felt Solomon and Achilles finally banish away the tainted magic that had breached his Champion forms psyche and attached itself to his mortal forms more fragile mind. Gently pulling his hand away from the boy and straightening up, Billy slightly cringed at the squeaky sound that came from rubbing his eyes with his gloved hands.

"Where, um, where am I?" He asked in a dazed voice, his tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes swiveling around to observe the room and the others who meet his gaze with worried expressions.

"You're in the Med Bay, Cap," Hal informed the man in a soft voice, "You okay?" He asked him, not liking how vulnerable the godly man appeared at the moment. Billy felt his breath hitch a little as he nodded, "Um, I'll be fine," he muttered kind of absent-mindedly, making Jason narrow his eyes under his mask as the boy saw some more connections between the little street-kids and the man in front of him. Not wanting to badger the obviously distraught and hurting man, Jason filed his thoughts away for a later interrogation and gave the man a little pat on his hand before he hopped off of the bed and walked over to Batman.

As Billy became more aware of his surroundings with the help of Hal's comforting hands and his steady voice, Billy made an embarrassed noise as he was drawn out of his fear- and memory-induced daze. He looked over to Hal with clear eyes and blurted out an apology, effectively cutting off the man's rambling about grocery shopping and taking care of a puppy that was destroying all of his furniture. Raising an eyebrow at the man, but not really surprised by the embarrassment, Hal gave the man a reassuring smile.

"It's fine man, I'm used to helping people get out of PTSD- and panic-related attacks so it's no biggie," he told him in a gentle voice, making the man blush a bit more and scratch the back of his head. "That was so scary," Billy breathed out as he subconsciously huddled into himself, his muscular thighs pulled towards his chest in a scrunched-up position since Hal had long since drawn a curtain around the two of them. "They freaking reached past Achilles and got to me--" he felt his throat close off in remembered panic, the magic's effects still lingering within his system and making him really distressed at the memories.

Seeing the rising panic, Hal quickly shushed the man and went back to patting his back reassuringly, "It's alright Captain," Hal reassured the man and looked for a way to re-ground him from the rising anxiety, "Um, I mean-- the other Gods and Goddesses must be getting on them for it now, right?" He clumsily changed the topic, not really sure if the other deities would actually do that. He was kind of surprised by the giggle-like chuckle that escaped the godly being, having never heard such an innocent sound from the man besides the weeping and whimpering from earlier.

"Oh yeah, Hades and Persephone must be pissed," he laughed at the thought, happy to feel the comforting warmth that came when he thought of his adoptive immortal mom and dad. Smiling at the happiness on the man's face and tone, Hal allowed the man to babble on about the two, chuckling at some of the more funny stories that came with the Champion's experiences in the Underworld.

After a bit, and once Hal was sure that the man was in a good state of mind, Hal stood up and stretched out. "Well, I should be heading home," he told the man in an apologetic voice, not wanting the man to feel bad for how long he had decided to stay in the Med Bay. "Me too," Billy agreed, not really understanding Hal's furrowed brows and pushing hands on his shoulder, "Uh, I think you might want to stay here for a bit dude," Hal told the man, unsure why he would think it was fine to leave the Med Bay after how extensively he'd been affected.

Billy shook his head, "I won't really be able to rest here," Billy hesitantly informed the man, kind of feeling like he should explain his form a little more since the man had stayed by his side, "I need to go to the Rock of Eternity if I really want to heal anything."

Seeming to be reminded on how inhuman the Champion was despite his appearances and mannerism, Billy observed the confusion play out along Hal's expressions. "Huh, you should probably tell the others that, I mean," Hal bit his lip a bit, "I'm kind of surprised that you haven't told us in the past two years, especially after last week when that Goddess appeared," Hal voiced his thoughts in an unsure manner, as he didn't want to overstep any boundaries with the notoriously mysterious being.

Billy blushed a little bit and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, "Er, yeah, I was kind of forced to tell the Big Three a bit about my healing process, but I didn't really want to be surrounded by and questioned by everyone about it," he told the man in an apologetic voice, not wanting to man to think that he didn't trust him or anything. Especially since a lot of the reasons that he didn't tell everyone stemmed from his own anxieties and insecurities-- he always felt bad at the thought of them thinking that he didn't trust or care about them.

Letting out a sigh, Hal settled a comforting hand on the man's shoulder, "It's alright dude, I understand," he reassured the Champion, "It's alright that you don't want to tell us all your identity, you just need to do it at your own pace and in your own time man," Hal smiled when the man's down-cast eyes meet his own. "You have your reasons and that's good enough for me, and if anyone gives you hell over it," Hal paused dramatically, making the man chuckle at his raised eyebrow, "You tell me and I'll straighten them out--with words! I pinky promise," he laughed when the Champion gave him a startled and disapproving expression, the Lantern holding out his pinky in a slightly joking manner. Billy smiled at the man and happily curled his pinky around the man's offered one with a laugh, happy to have a friend who didn't take his secret identity personally.


	3. How To: Accidentally Become a Sugarbaby (Pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy overhears Superman and the Flash discussing who's the fastest while on monitor duty with Green Arrow. Mercury decides to make himself known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!  
> So this chapter is full of a lot of head canons about Billy's relationship with the gods, and being the avatar of them.  
> When thinking of this fic, I thought it would be interesting to look at the whole Champion form as something that both can control and something that has some sort of balance of power. With my interpretation, Billy can channel the powers of his pantheon and interact with them directly, while his pantheon can "possess" or heavily influence him while powered up (Unless they physically contact him).  
> It's kind of like the form is a Sim avatar and they all made one character to share, so when the Gods want to interact with something or are called upon in dire situations, they get to push their energies into the form with Billy watching over their shoulder. When this happens, you just get a Marvel who acts less like Billy and more like an actual Greek/Roman God with Billy cheering/watching from the sidelines.  
> Um, yeah, a bit ramble-y but IDK, I just like to make things interesting and not-exactly-canon. :)  
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

It was a few weeks after the whole "Captain Marvel had a mental breakdown," situation before everyone treated Billy normally again.

Before this week of normalcy, Billy had had to hold in annoyed groans and cringes when people would gently rest their hands on his shoulders. He also had to endure the countless check-ins that the Big Three had brought him in for. Batman and Superman were the most concerned as they had personally observed the major meltdown where Billy had cried all over Hal Jordan, although Billy just thought Batman worried due to his constant (though respectable) paranoia of the mental stability of people around him.

Billy hadn't been mad really, he had just felt embarrassed with all of the attention that he was getting out of nowhere. It was kind of like when newer recruits like Stargirl would gap over his Champion form and ask him questions about his powers. He didn't like the feeling of being observed or babied, although Hal somehow made their new level friendship feel entirely different from that. Billy had come to really appreciate Hal and the man's humorous and sarcastic yet soft personality, finding the man to be a really good friend as they spent more time together.

Hal didn't push Billy to go out for drinks with him or to go anywhere really, however, he made an effort to sign up for monitor control with the Captain; often sat near him when Billy meditated or sketched in front of one of the large windows over-looking the universe; and even offered to join the man on a few of his patrols or simple flights around the world when he had free time. So, Billy liked Hal.

Another person that Billy really liked, besides Superman, was the Flash. The Flash had always reminded Billy of his pantheon God, Mercury. I mean, it was a given since the both of them were hyper-active and enjoyed going faster than the speed of sound. While Mercury was a little unhinged due to slight discrepancies between Roman and Greek ideologies and could get a little pissy at the rest of his pantheon since he was the only roman figure with Hercules, Billy enjoyed the quirkiness that came with both of them. Yet, he kind of wished Mercury had been off somewhere else on this particular day.

Billy had zeta-beamed up to the Watchtower for his monitor duty, roughly around midnight, with Green Arrow. The Watchtower was always calming around that time, the only sound throughout the halls being the clicking of his heeled boots on the floor and the swishing of his white cape. Like most visits, Billy found himself looking at the universe in bewilderment, his teenage awe and excitement of the unknown never really depleting despite the countless missions within the depths of space. The gods within his pantheon-- Hercules, Achilles, and Solomon being the more permanent fixtures within his being due to their very much dead and slightly mortal spirits-- were super bored at the lack of action. Billy could kind of see Solomon reading a book in the recesses of his mind while Hercules and Achilles seemed to be doing quad-stretches like weirdos. While it still weirds him out, he's become used to their presences over the years.

Despite the calmness after he settled down next to a bored Green Arrow, the two briefly chatting about a few random topics, Billy felt a massive migraine come out of nowhere when they caught the tail-end of Superman and Flash's conversation from the camera stationed in the kitchen. The two (mainly Flash) were discussing who was faster before Billy felt Mercury almost slam into his consciousness. Becoming lightheaded, Billy rested his head in his hand with a groan, the action startling Green Arrow and making the man look at him in concern.

"You, uh, alright there Cheese?" The millionaire asked the man in worry, not really wanting to deal with any mental breakdowns at this time, but willing to help in any way he could. Billy groaned in response, "Mercury just decided to be a little bitch," he told the man, surprising the blond with the absolutely uncharacteristic curse word, the man having never heard the demigod swear during his entire membership with the league.

"Is Mercury a threat, or..." Arrow trailed off with even more confusion, having no idea how the man (if he even was one) worked given how he had gotten out of the whole rumor mill and betting pools that some of the other league members partook in-- especially after he observed how pure and genuine the hero had remained over the years. It was something that he could really respect.

Billy sat up more and rubbed his temple, "He's the God that gives me my super speed," he explained, the genius, millionaire, play-boy, philanthropist being able to easily connect the dots on why the God would respond or come forward given Superman and Flash's discussion. 

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Oliver found himself asking the godly man, his gloved hand hovering over his little tool belt/satchel that held a mixture of trick arrows and medical supplies, all packed in a haphazard manner that Canary always pestered him to organize.

Billy shook his head as he blinked to clear his vision, his Champion form's pupils surrounded by a silvery ring that always came with Mercury's presence, each God having a different color when he channeled their power. Oliver noticed the color and inquired if that was part of the God, Billy nodded as he rolled his shoulders back, "Silver applies to Mercury since he thinks it resembles drachmas and Solomon took gold," Billy explained with a chuckle, the gradual shift towards a relaxed position making Oliver settle back into his chair. "Money guy, huh?" Oliver chuckled, only having briefly researched the Champion's pantheon since he had been so busy with his work and vigilante/superhero activities. "Yes actually, Mercury is the God of financial gain and communication, as well as an absurd amount of other things," Billy absently informed the man, sort of dissociating as he felt Mercury zipping around his being, the energy of the God disturbing the more permanent three.

Having turned his attention towards the monitor as the situation seemed to settle down, Oliver didn't really catch the distant look in Marvel's eyes as both of them settled into the quiet that they had been experiencing previously. Billy felt his control dip a little as he was coated with the blanket of chaotic energy that was Mercury, his iris completely engulfed by silver. Billy felt like he was wrapped in a cozy blanket and gently dumped into the passenger seat of a car, the mental picture of a lean, dark skinned man with pulled back hair taking control of a joystick going through his mind.

A signature, mischievous smile spread across the form's slightly tanned face as Mercury subtly wiggled the avatar form's fingers and looked around. "I'm just going to get a drink real quick," the God told the mortal besides him, standing up in a slightly janky manner, the sudden movement and uncharacteristic behavior effectively earning a bewildered stare from Queen. "Hold on a minute," Oliver's suspicious voice halted the God's progress to the door, the immortal being turning around and meeting the heroes eye readily with a smirk. Faced with the full silver irises, Oliver quirked his head in confusion while his eyebrows raised in shock, "You're that Mercury guy?" He stated in a questioning voice, not really understanding how the "switch" or whatever had occurred so soundlessly.

Mercury rolled his eyes, "Of course I am!" He exclaimed, "You guys were saying my name like a mantra, kind of hard to ignore," he scoffed as an explanation to the man's wordless question, "Plus, I really, really want to race whoever those two guys were on that weird mortal screen," he added in a childish manner, really not caring how the mortal viewed him at the moment as he was itching for a race. Oliver blinked in surprise, "As much as I want to see that, the Captain has to be here with me for monitor duty," the blond grumbled in annoyance, having been given a warning that if he or any of his partners were absent on duty that they'd (more heavily him due to his reputation of skipping) get written up and benched from non-lethal missions.

Feeling like a light bulb appeared over his head, Oliver twisted his mustache as he grinned at the God, "I bet a thousand dollars that you can't stay in this room until the end of monitor duty--or if we have to provide aid in an emergency," he added the last part as the thought came to him, and he taunted the God by pulling out a wad of cash that he kept in his pocket for snacks and stuff. Seeing the godly being tilt their head in interest, Oliver knew that he had the immortal hooked on the bet. Almost seductively striding back to the chair in manner that was so not Captain Marvel, Oliver held back a snort when the God dramatically plopped into the padded yet rigid seat with a sigh. "This is going to be the most boring bet in the millennia," Mercury huffed in annoyance, crossing the form's well muscled arms over his chest as he slouched into the chair.

The bet passed by in an awkward silence, the both of them not really feeling like talking or comfortable enough to really relax around the other. "Ugh," Mercury groaned in boredom as the night proved to be uneventful, "This is worse than holding discussion with Demeter," the God whined, having been bouncing a ball on the floor for the past hour. Oliver gave a grunt in agreement, "Always gets boring around the third hour," he dead-panned, making the God swift towards him with absolute agony written over his face, probably pained by his decision to lay sideways in the chair. "It's even worse for me since I'm basically the immortal embodiment of ADHD," he complained with a pout, throwing his hands in the air in an annoyed manner, "Yet, here I am sitting in a chair that might as well as be a rock, staring at thousands of little screens," Mercury ranted unhappily, really wishing that he had just zoomed straight out of the room before taking the bet.

Oliver turned towards the immortal and smirked when he observed that the being would likely answer any of his questions due to the boredom. "So, how does this work?" Oliver asked them in confusion, gesturing towards the Champion form in a vague manner when the God raised an eyebrow at him. Mercury looked down at the lightning shape on the form's chest and straightened up before giving a shrug, "Solomon would have more accurate answers," he yawned, placing his arms behind his head. "The way I see it is that, um, the "chosen one" gets to channel our powers, and we get to use the form as an avatar when we feel like it," Mercury explained in a sort of half-assed way, only really confusing the hero besides him more. "Is Captain like, asleep or something?" Oliver asked, barely holding back a scoff and eye-roll at his use of the simple wording.

Mercury shook his head, "Nope, he's aware of what I'm doing and what's going on around him," Mercury laughed at Oliver's perplexed expression, "Think of it as if we switched drivers on a Chariot, like, our Champion is a passenger at this point, watching as I control the horses," he stated sort of simply, deciding to throw the little tennis ball that he a conjured earlier up into the air. Oliver made a noise of understanding, "And by channeling your powers, you guys basically empower Marvel's original form to look like that?" Oliver concluded after a few seconds of thought, coming to the conclusion that the Power of Gods must alter a person in some way. Mercury gave an easy nod, easily ignoring Solomon's and Billy's rising irritation with how much the hyperactive God was discussing the Champion form.

All too soon for the both of them, the two heroes for the next shift entered the room. Mercury and Oliver stood up and exchanged sort of awkward greetings with Hawkman and Hawkwoman before leaving the monitor room and heading to the Cafeteria for a few quick snacks. Once in the eating area, Oliver was greeted by Black Canary, the woman coming to pick him up after the late night shift. "Hey there Captain," Dinah greeted the man amicably as she grabbed a table for them to sit at, setting a tray laden with pastries and coffee on it with the two men following suit. Before Mercury could reply, he felt his energy waver a bit as Billy and Solomon pushed to get him out of the way. The two humans shared a look when the Champion didn't say anything in reply, the man just blinking and gazing at the marbled surface of the table. "Er, um, that's actually--" Oliver's awkward explanation was interrupted by Billy's strangled cough that erupted as he frantically took back the "wheel" from the God.

The weird behavior and hacking drew the attention of other groggy heroes that had come to the Cafeteria for whatever reason, as well as the concerned stares of Green Arrow and Black Canary from across the table. Feeling like he was breaching water for the first time in a while, Billy coughed a bit more and cleared his throat, blushing at all of the attention on him. He also grimaced slightly when he looked up at the two heroes in front of him, cornflower blue eyes meeting the masks with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, uh, how's it going Canary?" Billy asked the woman after getting his bearings, not really wanting to talk about what had just happened. Having dealt with weirder things, Dinah internally noted the weird behavior and shouldered on, "I'm fine, though I wish I could have slept in a bit later," she laughed a little, taking a sip of her coffee before offering Billy a pastry.

Still feeling awkward, Billy accepted it with an, "Uh, sure,", a reply that's usually reserved for when a cashier asks if you would like your receipt. He held the little raspberry pastry in his gloved hands and kind of picked at it in an absent manner while Dinah and Oliver briefly chatted about their plans for the day. "What about you Cap?" Oliver asked the hero, slightly more awake after chugging the cold-brew coffee that Dinah had given him, Billy blinked a little and glanced at the ceiling as he actually thought of what his plans were for the day. "Hmm, I definitely need to do a grocery run that's for sure," Billy admitted with a chuckle, his mind flashing back to the singular granola bar and packet of oatmeal that he had in his cupboard. His response pleasantly surprised the two, as they were used to getting a dismissive answer when they asked any questions relating to the man's personal life.

"Ah, I remember ye olde Bachelor days," Oliver chuckled to himself, looking off to the distance in a dramatic manner, "Stoned out of my mind and only having a single thing of Ramen and a bottle of vodka to last a week," he sighed dreamily with his bearded chin on the palm of his hand, earning an amused chuckle and elbow in the side from Canary. Billy gave his own chuckle, secretly pleased and reassured to find that one of the adults he looked up to had experienced some form of poverty and was able to bring themselves out of it, a especially since Billy was pretty sure that Green Arrow was some sort of wealthy. "Why don't you take a box of pastries for home?" Dinah suggested in a soft voice, her voice low enough that only those with super hearing could over-hear, Billy blinked in surprise at the woman's kind tone and found himself blushing. Before he could really start rambling, Dinah gave him a soft look before getting up and casually packing a box of pastries without anyone questioning her. Plopping back into her seat, Dinah winked as she placed the box in the center of the table, subtly pushing the box towards the man.

Billy bashfully thanked her, still rather embarrassed when anyone seemed to understand or know about his less than convenient living conditions. Checking the time on his communicator, Billy saw that it was around six-thirty and knew that he had to leave around now if he wanted to have enough time to sleep before his shift at a local diner, Fawcett Laguna. "Oof, I have to head out," he grumbled with a slight frown, not really looking forward to squeezing into his work jeans and scratchy work shirt, "I'll be seeing you guys later, yeah?" He smiled when he looked up at them, slightly gulping when he caught the two sharing a look. After a few seconds of communicating through facial expressions, Oliver leaned towards Billy and said, "If you need someone to help with anything, make sure to give me a call," and slipped the hero a business card, as well as a thick wad of cash. Billy fumbled the wad of cash, his already wide eyes widened more as he caught sight of an unmasked Green Arrow with his civilian name on the card. "Arrow, what the--" before he could really finish his sentence, the archer deployed a smoke-screen arrow and the two dramatically vanished from the Cafeteria. Effectively leaving multiple bewildered heroes and a gob-smacked Captain Marvel who was loosely holding a box of pastries and a business card while the wad of cash bounced around his feet, all of them not exactly sure of what just transpired. 


	4. One Way To Start The Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy almost gets kidnapped after a shift at the Fawcett Laguna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! :)  
> Since Billy had been slipping up all over the place with details about his identity, I thought it would be fun to allow a few someones to find out :0 ,,, a few smart someones :)  
> Not that far off from some other identity fics in who finds out, but I just spiced it up a bit with a lot, and I mean a LOT of action and suspense. tbh, I kind of surprised myself with this beast of a chapter.  
> ++Trigger warning for swearing and canon-typical violence  
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :))

Billy hated waiting tables. The countless hours on his feet, the awkward smiles and laughs, the grouchy customers who tipped him twenty-five cents on a forty dollar bill, and don't even mention the temptation of the kitchen. He was forced to come in to work and endure the lovely food smells that tortured his empty stomach, all while he was forced to act like he wasn't tempted to eat the leftovers that the customers didn't want bagged.

However, Billy loved pizza and wings night since Geoffrey often pre-fired too many pizza crusts for their typical flow of costumers, leading to the man using the rest for any employees who wanted a custom pizza. Billy was always one of the first to ask at the end of the night, easily playing off his eagerness as being head of snacks for his fake DnD campaign (which were stories secretly based off of the history of previous Champions). Geoffrey, being a fellow nerd, would happily give Billy two pizzas and often told him to, "Fry up some wings for the boys," which always made Billy squirm uncomfortably when reminded of his blatant, yet resourceful, lying.

It had been an extremely hectic pizza and wings night, the little bar area packed with people celebrating some big football tournament match that Billy could care less about. His black work shirt was drenched in sweat and his shoes and jeans were splattered with ranch and soda from this toddler that had pelted him with their soda on accident. However, Billy was blissfully happy to be this disgusting since was pay day, which meant that he could go to the local gym and slip that one woman a twenty as to take a free shower for the next few weeks. Taking off his little black apron and placing his writing pad near the register, Billy let out a little dance of excitement as he collected the beastly amount of tips in his bucket.

Cramming the wad of ones, fives, tens, and a twenty into his sad little satchel, Billy felt excited at the thought of getting a few more used/cheap clothes for the winter, as well as some more food and hygiene related items at the dollar store. Billy punched in his time card with a hum, giving the bartenders/other waiting staff Jessie and Cassandra chirpy little goodbyes before swinging into the kitchen as to say good bye to Geoffrey. Once he came into the room, Billy frowned a little in concern when Geoffrey looked up at him with sad, brown eyes, "Hey man, I don't have any extras to give out tonight," he informed him in an apologetic voice, his lips quirking up slightly when the boy shrugged and waved it off in his normal, bouncy manner. "It's fine Geoffrey, I told them it's be too busy with all this football malarkey, so Diana said she was fine with bringing snacks," the lie easily slid off of Billy's tongue, the boy not even really thinking twice about it as he stole a dill pickle from the line.

Geoffrey chuckled and leaned against the rocky side of the wood-fire stove, "Always a smart little dude," he thought aloud, knowing that when he was sixteen that he would never think that far ahead. Billy blushed and smirked a little towards the older man, "Have a good night, Geo," he told the man fondly, having always looked up to the man as some sort of older brother since he had gotten the job. "Night kid," his deep baritone voice followed Billy as he pushed through the back door, munching on his pickle as he walked over to his chained bicycle that he had gotten for five dollars at a thrift store, the chipped red paint glistening under the yellow street lights. His eyes habitually flickered around the sort of dark alleyway, his free hand floating over the switchblade in the snap-able front flap of his bag.

Not hearing anything out of the normal, Billy unlocked his bike and started to make the long trek to his abandoned home on the outskirts of the town. Billy hadn't necessarily bought the house, although he had claimed it through the gradually diminishing homeless population of Fawcett City, the city's employment and tourist levels increasing from his work on rebuilding the reputation and basically put a spotlight on the old and forgotten town. Peddling down the street in the biking lane, Billy instinctively shuddered every time a car passed, the already present autumnal wind almost rocking his frail body off of his bike without the aid of the cars driving by. Something that wasn't normal to his daily commute was the unsettling feeling of being watched.

Billy wasn't sure if it was his already rampant paranoia kicking into high-gear or if it was his self-preservation instincts turning on for the first time in a few weeks. However, without his powered form, Billy was really at a disadvantage at times like these. Sure, he was beginning to learn how to perform magic in his mortal form with the help of Solomon, but he was really just a skinny teenager with the cardio of a tortoise. He nervously bit his bottom lip as he began to peddle away from the comfort of the city and the observant eyes of passing pedestrians. The street lights began to stretch further and further apart and the cars were much less frequent, the road a long stretch of asphalt that tended to shimmer during summertime heat like an oasis in the desert. Billy had just finished peddling up a large hill when he heard the sounds of the wheat fields near him shuffling, the towering stalks of grain heaving side to side as someone or something made their way towards him.

Gripping his fists tightly around his handlebars and peddling with renewed energy, Billy almost pierced his lip with his teeth as he desperately kept himself from calling on the powers of the gods, not wanting to reveal his identity to whoever could be in the fields. I mean, what if it's some farm kid looking to prank me, he would reassure himself, absolutely tuning out the increased pace of shuffling as the thing took chase after him. With the sight of his house in the horizon, a moment of clarity hit Billy as he remembered that he was literally in the middle of nowhere. Rational thought slapped him on the back of the head as he realized that his house couldn't provide any safety against any sort of perpetrator, never mind someone who had tackled him off of his bike.

Letting out a yelp, Billy lost control of the bike and they tumbled into the mixture of grass, chunks of asphalt, and cigarette buds on the side of the road. "Get the fuck off of me," Billy shrieked out as he felt the heavily breathing person pin him down onto the grass with his face scrapping the asphalt, his lanky limbs thrashed about once he came to find that the person was an inch or two shorter than him. Bucking the person off of his back, Billy donkey kicked them in the gut/face and blindly crawled away from them on trembling limbs, accidentally falling into a little ditch. Tumbling down the slight hill, his body crushed a few beer cans and his clothes became a little damp from the water collecting in it. Hurriedly getting up, Billy clutched his bag and sprinted in the direction of his house, almost rolling his ankle a few times as he narrowly missed tripping over a few roots. The person chasing him wasn't as lucky, as he heard their strained and gasping voice cursing out as they fell to the ground a few times.

Not really knowing what to do since his house was basically a dead end, Billy still threw open the door and hastily blocked it with a chair that was nearby for the purpose of barricading the door. The door pounded towards him as he weakly backed away from it and forced himself to silently run towards the basement, one hand pulling out his switch blade while his other hand pulled out his communicator. Billy quietly pulled the hidden door closed as he heard the front window shatter, silently making his way to the back of the basement where he had fixed a jammed window as a second exit, all of which hidden by a maze of shelves that the previous owner had left behind. Billy waited with bated breath as the floorboards creaked overhead, waiting for them to go to a far part of the house so that he could make a dash for his hopefully still intact bike. Billy's thumb rested on the phone icon for the communicator, willing to spill his identity to at least Hal, Superman, or Oliver if it meant that they could help save him.

Hearing the distance that he felt comfortable with overhead, Billy squirmed out of the window without losing any of his things. Billy sneaked away in the shadows, the new moon easily making the darkness appear more deep and all consuming. Seeing that the road could be observed from the window at the top of the house, Billy instead hid behind a pretty far away pine tree and stared at his communicator with a mixture of dread and desperation. He carefully glanced behind the tree before pressing the call button for Hal's communicator number after turning the volume down and cupping his mouth.

"Hey Cap, what's going on?" Hal's voice asked curiously over the quiet phone, and Billy's rapidly beating heart skipped a little more in relief. "Look Hal, I don't have much time to explain," Billy whispered in a slightly slow manner, wanting the man to hear him without being forced to repeat himself, "Someone followed me home and attacked me, I need help at 359 Bluebird Lane on the eastern outskirts of Fawcitt City," Billy added, forcing himself to keep from heavily breathing or shifting his aching body. "Of course Cap," Hal breathed out in a worried voice, having been surprised enough to have walked out of a blind date with this hot brunette when he heard the mortal, young sounding form of his teammate begin to speak. "You want me to remain on the phone?" Hal asked him in a quiet voice, not really knowing how serious or how far away the kid had gotten from the person, "Yes, please," Billy whispered almost inaudibly, his slightly quivering voice betraying how frightened he was.

Glancing once more over his shoulder, Billy clenched his jaw at the sight of a flashlight going through the house, steadily heading towards the secretly booby-trapped back door. Looking around, Billy decided to climb the thick pine tree, not wanting the perpetrator to get the upper-hand by startling him from his hiding spot. With his thin frame, Billy barely jostled the thin branches towards the bottom and was able to easily climb through the larger ones once he felt comfortable enough that he was hidden from sight. Not too much later in his climb, Billy almost cried in joy when he spotted the green light from Hal's powered form, the man having bolted towards the address within a few minutes. Billy battled a little with his fear of revealing himself with the perpetrator so close and with his desperation for safety, though he ended up deciding to remain quiet once he observed how Hal was surveying the house, the figure having finally reached the open backyard after getting covered in an obnoxious amount of silly-string.

Billy let himself sigh in relief as he briefly heard Hal confront the person over the communicator and captured the figure, clearing his throat and screaming out Hal's name from his spot in the tree. He watched the man look up in confusion and look around, "Are you in a tree or something Cap?" Hal asked him through the communicator, earning a really excited yes which broke into a sob. Hal floated up towards the sound of the teenager's voice, worry and concern clawing viciously at his chest as he used a physical flashlight to find the boy. The light beam caught on Billy's waving arm in a near-by tree, and Hal instantly flew towards the boy, his breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of the tear-streaked, dirty, and slightly bloody face of a teenage boy.

"Is it alright if I come near you Cap?" The man asked him as he came to a stop in front of the boy's tree, not wanting to make him panic even more. Feeling his throat tighten with tears, Billy found himself nodding and babbling out desperately for his teammate, his thin, lanky arm outstretched towards the man as his other arm was clenched around the trunk of the tree. Hal gently maneuvered in front of the boy and easily picked his shivering form up, the boy practically gluing himself to his chest as he took him out of the tree. Hal remained by the tree as he comforted the crying teenager, making it so that he wouldn't have to look at the house and could have a breather. "Do you have everything from the tree?" He asked kind of last minute, looking for ways to calm the boy in his grasp before he inevitably freaked out a bit more once seeing who exactly had stalked and assaulted him.

Billy pulled slightly away from the man so that he could check his bag for his switchblade and money, his breath sputtering out unevenly still as he started to calm down more. "Erm, y-yeah, I think so," he mumbled nervously, bringing his hand up to his eye so that he could wipe away his tears. "T-Thank you for coming, Hal, um," he thanked the man in a weepy voice, looking at him with earnest, red-rimmed eyes, the intense cornflower blue capturing the low green light coming from his form. Hal gently pushed back a lock of black curly hair that had fallen out of his little pony-tail, tucking it behind his weirdly pierced ear, "It's alright Cap, I wouldn't leave you like that man," he reassured the boy in a soft voice, bringing Billy in to gently hug the teenager when his face quivered. Taking a deep breath, Hal asked, "You wanna see the guy?" the question earning a soft little nod from the crook of his shoulder, "It's someone you know," Hal warned him as he slowly drifted them down to the ground, not wanting the boy to go into total shock.

Billy let out a deep sigh, his heart already hurting at the inferred betrayal. "Hold on," Billy whispered when they were almost half way, pulling away to look at the man with freshly teary-eyes, "Is it Green Arrow or something?" He asked, his teeth gnawing a his bottom lip anxiously, almost feeling physically ill that it could be someone that he trusted. Hal shook his head, concern marring his face at the clear distress, "Do you just want me to tell you?" He asked the boy in an even tone, not wanting him to stress himself out more, Billy nodded a little, his eyes wide and a little unsure when faced with the decision and the reveal. "It was Robin," Hal sighed out, carefully observing the boy's facial expressions to make sure that he could help calm him down if need be.

Faced with the reveal, Billy scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, "What the fuck?" He muttered, blinking in surprise, "Did--did he say why?" Billy asked the man in confusion, having thought that he had been nothing but polite towards the other teenage (although it wouldn't look like it) hero. Hal shook his head patiently, just willing to help the boy get medical help no matter how long it took. "Do you wanna talk to him, bud?" Hal asked him, internally cringing at the term that slipped out, although it went unnoticed by Billy, as the hero tried to recount possible reasons on why the boy would attack him. "Sure," he agreed in an almost absent manner, easily bringing his slightly outraged attention back once he finished pondering what could have gone wrong.

Hal gently touched down onto the grass near-by the still trapped Robin, the green metal bars effectively encasing the boy. Letting the boy down, Hal was startled by Billy's abrupt and quick violent kick towards the other boy, his shoes dinging against the temporary metal after he stormed towards the cage. "What the fuck Robin?" He found himself snarling, his irises becoming ringed with gold as his anger rose at the sight of the boy. "Why the hell would you follow me home and attack me?" He asked the boy in a simmering voice, his anger almost icy and palpable as he glared straight into his masked eyes. Billy watched the slightly cowed boy gulp, "I had just been following you in the beginning so that I could er," here Jason paused rather timidly, "Interrogate you on your powers, um, though I only did it since I snooped into Br-er-Batman's files and saw how little he had on you," he admitted truthfully, his self-preservation forcing him to tell the whole truth.

Billy felt his fists clench and un-clench, "How'd you find out my mortal form, and where I work?" He asked in a breathy voice, flinching slightly when Hal set a gentle hand on his shoulder as to give him some support, the man's own masked eyes looking at Robin expectantly. Jason sighed, "I found out your form after masking my presence and following you after a mission, and just observed your schedule from there," he told the boy, watching the already shaking boy pale, "Is--is that something Batman does," he asked, his slight whimper not really allowing him to put any strong emphasis on his words. "No, I nicked the stuff from--our butler," he told the boy, catching himself from blurting out the man's name, although it made him shift slightly in discomfort for some reason. Billy let out a few sniffles as his exhaustion crept up on him, his adrenaline running out as everything seemed to chill. Seeing that the boy was losing steam, Hal turned to look at Robin in a harsh and critical light. "I'm informing Batman of this misconduct and harassment," he told the boy in a strict voice, the tone and context of the sentence making Robin pale, "I'll also make sure that Cap gets reimbursed for this, and that you get a little timeout for your actions," he promised the boy, really unsettled how things had escalated this far due to the boy's curiosity and possible spite. 

Robin nodded without complaint, knowing that things could go much worse with the righteous Green Lantern if he tested the man any further. Snapping back to reality as Solomon stringed a bit of his energy through the boy's magical core, Solomon gently took control of the mortal form and stepped out of the Lantern's hold, "For frightening and harming our Champion, you shall face your punishment in the near yet far future," he told the boy ominously with a grim face, "Cursed until we have decided that you have achieved redemption from these unprovoked acts seeded in Sins of Greed, Wrath, and Pride," he continued as he prowled towards the imprisoned boy in a menacing manner. The both of them were surprised by the random appearance of the protective God, having thought that the teenager was about to pass out, "So it be, as stated by Solomon the Wise King," he finished the non-lethal curse on the boy, still pissed that the child before him had affected their chosen Champion to the extent that he was mentally weak enough to allow Solomon to influence him with an amount of energy that weighed less than a speck of sand.

Deciding to remain in control as he mentally glanced at the battered and exhausted boy, Solomon turned expectantly towards Hal, the boy's previously cornflower blue eyes overtaken by the pseudo-god's signature gold energy. "We must take care of William before his consciousness is completely lost," Solomon informed the man, always finding it weird to hear his thoughts come out of a voice that was distinctly not his. Hal blinked and nodded slowly, "Um, of course your highness, would it be alright if I carried you?" He asked as he raised his hand towards the cage and lifted it slightly, still remaining gentle even though he was heavily disappointed with the boy. Solomon agreed and awkwardly settled into the man's hold, deciding to clutch onto his "ward's" bag of valuables in case it flew away. "I guess we're heading to Gotham," Hal thought aloud after a few minutes of silence, the landscape passing by as he hurriedly got them to were they need to go.

Easily remembering the directions to the city, Hal found himself drifting over Gotham city, not getting too far before he heard the gruff call of one of his leaders and close teammates. Finding the man on a skyscraper rooftop casually perched on a gargoyle, Hal landed near him and quickly recounted what he knew happened between the two. Bruce, who had been having a rather nice evening, turned a disappointed glare onto his adopted son, "Jason Todd," he found himself biting out in a fatherly voice, his anger making it hard to filter out the boy's identity while in front of one of his most trusted teammates and a clearly upset mortal Champion-- who was a young teenager apparently. Jason gulped at the use of his name and bowed his head in shame, "I'm not going to say anything too hasty, but just know that you're going to be grounded for a minimum of a year, young man," Bruce informed the boy in a tight voice, the boy having already tested his patience throughout the past few months after he had passed the tests to take on the mantel of Robin.

Clearing his tight throat, Bruce turned to face Hal as to look at Billy more closely, his teeth clenching as he was able to guess the series of events that had occurred through his brief analysis of the boy's injuries. Relentlessly stomping the anger out, Bruce smoothed out his expression as to not frighten the boy. "Is anything broken or feeling off in there Captain?" He asked the boy, not really sure what was up with his golden eyes besides it being some manifestation of some sort of healing magic. Solomon rolled his eyes a little, kind of startling Bruce with the out of place attitude, "Nothing's broken, however his body impacted the ground in a jarring manner towards his spine and I'm sure that an ankle is sprained, weak little things they are," he informed the man, finally having enough of Hal's cradling as he looked towards the man and asked him to set them down.

Surprised by the second-person perspective, Bruce asked who they were conversing with, "I'm Solomon, and before we forget, I placed a non-lethal--though painful," he glared at the boy here, before calmly turning to face the caped crusader, "Curse upon the sniveling worm that will be lifted once he shows genuine redemption and growth from this behavior," Solomon stated in a blunt manner. The statement made Bruce pale slightly and shift uncomfortably as he hated the use of magic on people that he loved, "Uh, we'll need to discuss that at a later point," he stated in a serious voice, meeting the pseudo-god's eye contact head on. "However, I can provide discreet medical care at my headquarters," he told them, centering his conflicted emotions by reminding himself that he was still addressing the form of an injured child.

They watched in varying degrees of open interest as Solomon tilted his head slightly and held a mental conversation with the boy that last for a few minutes, "We must ban all sight of and interaction with the perpetrator, and nothing pertaining to William's identity can be shared with others within the League," he told them in a deathly serious voice, his gold eyes glimmering ominously as he turned his gaze upon everyone within the small group. "If anything gets out, godly intervention will be provided due to the conditions that his identity was discovered," Solomon added his own condition to Billy's, holding back a dry chuckle as Billy feebly protested the notion of his entire pantheon handling the League like a bunch of mom's taking on a manager of a store.

Bruce gave a nod, a little more than slightly hesitant to give the pseudo-god that much control over him yet understanding that the identity reveal was extremely non-ideal and invasive to the boy. With that all wrapped up, Hal grabbed a more groggy Billy and followed after the Bat-mobile once Bruce supervised Robin on the glide down to the vehicle, both men ready to chase after the boy in case he decided to make a run for it once on the streets. Halfway to Wayne Manor, Hal glanced down when he felt Billy shift against his arms, "Hmm, wha's going on?" Billy mumbled, lifting his head up from Hal's shoulder as he felt the cool wind brush against his face and blearily blinked his eyes open. Hal chuckled, splitting his attention between following the Batmobile and answering Billy, "We're going to get you healed up," Hal told the boy, gently shifting the boy in his arms as he dipped under a power line, "We're going to the Rock?" Billy asked in confusion, earning a chuckle from Hal. "Nah kid, I'm bringing you somewhere else safe," he reassured the boy, not wanting him to freak out over the idea of Batman knowing his identity while they were in the air. Billy smiled tiredly up at Hal, letting out a yawn before giving a simple, "Okay," and passing out in Hal's arms.

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Billy woke up on a comfy bed with a cream colored blanket tucked around his thin form, his aching body wrapped in the coziest pair of pajamas that had ever graced his mortal being. His heart skipped a few beats as he became more aware of his surroundings, sitting up quickly when he came to the conclusion that he was definitely not in his run-down and grubby house. However, his hurried escape was halted when he caught sight of a sleeping, unmasked, and de-powered Hal in a classy suit sitting in a near-by chair, the man's handsome face marred by a thick line of drool. Blinking in surprise, Billy found himself unsure of what to do, especially when he looked around more at the expensive room that he was laying in with it's high-end artwork and the professional grade IV system that he was hooked up to.

Billy startled when a knock came from the cherry-wood door, a proper sounding British man's voice checking to see if he could enter the room. Gulping a little bit, Billy brought the thick comforter up to his chin and gave his consent for the man entering the room, his wide eyes watching the thin man enter the room with a cart laden with breakfast items as well as a medical kit. "Good morning Master William, did you rest well?" The man greeted the boy in his usual manner, stopping the cart by the guest bed and looking at the boy expectantly, his old face expressing nothing but warmth and kindness. Billy blushed at the quite formal greeting, bringing his hand up to his home-pierced ear as to nervously tug at the cheap earring, "Er, you don't have to call me that Sir, you can just call me Billy," he told him in a flustered voice, earning a quite scandalized expression from the butler which made him nervously chuckle.

"As you wish, Master Billy," Alfred allowed the (in his opinion) degrading nickname, stubbornly tacking on the boy's soon to be title since Alfred had the sneaking suspicion that Bruce would adopt the child within the next few weeks. I mean, black hair: check, blue eyes: check, a lack of self-preservation: check. The boy was a perfect match for the pattern that Alfred was beginning to see within the man's adopting of wayward rugrats. "My name's Alfred Pennyworth, I am the butler of Wayne Manor," he informed the child as he made the boy a cup of tea, smiling when he caught the understanding in the boy's eyes when given the casual un-masking of Batman, "I formally welcome you on behalf of my employer to enjoy our hospitality as you continue to heal," Alfred added in a warm voice as he placed the delicate teacup in the boy's hands.

"Wow," Billy breathed out in awe, snapping out of the discovery by taking a sip of his tea, his eyes flickering around the room and the two adults in the room. "Um, not to be rude, but did you bring enough food for Hal and me?" Billy asked, tilting his head towards the still heavily sleeping man, a little worried and weirdly pleased with the thought of how long the man had stayed in the chair for him. Alfred nodded easily as he placed an extravagantly designed bed-table in front of the boy, "I made pancakes, oatmeal, and brought fruits for you two to enjoy," Alfred told the boy warmly, amused by the boy's constant flushing over being pampered by the butler, his behavior reminding the man of Dick and Jason. "Oh, thank you Alfred," Billy mumbled in embarrassment as the man loaded a plate for him without asking what he wanted, the boy sitting up against the plush pillows and awkwardly cradling his cup of tea.

"It's no trouble, sir," Alfred chuckled, easily getting the boy settled before moving on to waking up the sleeping Green Lantern with a few gentle, well placed prods and a cup of coffee at hand, "Mister Jordan, breakfast awaits," he told the groggy man as he held the cup towards him. Hal blearily blinked at the butler before taking the coffee at hand with a tired smile, "Thank you Alfred," he thanked the man as he sat up more, the butler moving towards his temporary charge after successfully waking the man and getting his breakfast set. "How are you doing Billy?" Hal asked the teenager, sipping at his coffee as he bemusedly watched Billy fluster at Alfred's polite yet persistent mother-henning, the man having decided to take his vitals after they finished their food.

Billy helplessly looked at Hal as the butler took his heart beat, his face beet-red as the man moved the stethoscope around his bare back, "Uh, I feel a lot better than I usually do in the morning, how are you Hal?" Billy told the man honestly, the sentence making the two adults share a glance. "That's good to hear," Hal smiled at the boy, "I'm fine, thanks for asking kid," he added with a chuckle, taking a gulp of his coffee before giving the boy a more serious look, "Nothing hurts?" Hal asked in a no-nonsense voice, making the boy gulp under the two intense stares. He ran his hair through his greasy hair and shrugged, "I'm a little sore from the tackle and the running," he admitted, the scraps on his face and random parts of his arms and sides already bandaged from the asphalt, "But everything else is bearable," he added hastily once he saw a little glint cross Alfred's dark eyes, a glint that Billy typically saw in his coworker Cassandra's eyes when she worried over his skinny frame.

Alfred raised a skeptical eyebrow and gave a little hum as he continued to respectively examine the boy, making him stand up and touch his toes so that he could check for any spinal damage. Just as Alfred finished his standard check-up for anyone who fell into his hands, the three's attention were pulled towards the door, Alfred gently setting Billy's raised leg back down on the bed as he went to answer it. "Hello Master Bruce," Alfred greeted the man, allowing the unmasked man to enter the room and stood to the side of his adopted son/employer as the man carefully stopped near Billy's bedside. Smiling at Billy's wide, cornflower eyes, Bruce held his hand out towards the boy, "It's nice to finally meet you," Bruce told the boy warmly, his own blue eyes glinting in a sort of mischievous manner at the sort of smart-ass introduction.

Billy shook the man's hand with a gob-smacked face, his brain slightly short-circuiting as he finally meet the civilian form of Batman. "Um, it's nice to meet you too Mr. Wayne," Billy mumbled with a deep blush, taking a deep breath before he brought his down-cast eyes up to meet the adult's own blue, "Thank you for your hospitality," he added as he slipped his thin hand out of the man's calloused grip. Bruce chuckled, placing his hands in his pocket in a relaxed manner, "It's no trouble William," Bruce reassured the boy, accidentally mirroring Alfred's earlier reply in a sort of hauntingly similar manner that made Billy give a surprised laugh. "Er, sorry, please just call me Billy," he told the man as he leaned back against the pillows, absently fiddling with the comforter as he found himself pleasantly relaxed around the three adults.

"Of course, Billy," Bruce allowed, "Please call me Bruce in return, Mr. Wayne is way too formal for anyone I consider an equal and a friend," he explained when the boy gave him a confused look, a look that quickly morphed into a surprised and flustered expression when told that he, grubby little Billy Batson, was considered Bruce Wayne's equal. "Oh, alright-y then," he said in a shocked voice as he turned his attention onto the comforter, his thin fingers tracing the little designs on it. Bruce frowned slightly at the slightly hunched and embarrassed body language and mentally took note of the boy's mannerisms before clearing his throat and deciding to help brighten the boy's weekend, "I'm sure Hal and Alfred have made sure you're well, so," Bruce trailed out once he saw that he had the boy's curiosity, "Would you like to join me and Dick for a trip on the yacht?" He asked the boy politely, the proposition making the boy raise his eyebrows in surprise and glance at the other two adults.

"Uhhh, who's Dick?" Billy asked, his experience on the streets making him suspicious of going anywhere with someone he didn't know for sure, as well as the word dick just making him nervous in general no matter the context. Bruce blinked at the question, the status of Dick's adoption in the Wayne family common knowledge to just about anyone who read the newspapers, "He's my adopted son and holds the title of Nightwing," the man told the boy, knowing that the observant teenager would easily come to the conclusion once he saw that Dick was the same height and had the same mannerisms as his superhero alias. Given this information, Billy beamed at the proposition and nodded with excitement, "That sounds awesome," he exclaimed before he all of a sudden jumped on top of the comforter, surprising all three of the adults with his random burst of energy. "Woah, Bill, calm down man," Hal laughed while they all watched him in a concerned manner, the man's chest warming at the sight of the teenager doing a few wild jumps, "Sorry," Billy yelped at the unplanned movement, not really able to provide an explanation until he haphazardly flopped back onto the bed. 

The action made Alfred let out a very disapproving sound and sternly scold the boy, who just beamed up at him. "Oh I'm fine now Mr. Alfred," Billy reassured the man as he pulled off the bandage on his cheek, the three watching as he revealed the healed skin, "My magic just finished healing everything and it gave me a spike of energy," Billy explained after he caught his breath. He smirked at the confused looks that the three adults gave, all of which in various states of hovering over him with Alfred being the one who was blatantly hovering as he checked the boy's bandages on his sides. "That's cool, I guess," Hal stated in an unsure tone, almost spitting his now cold coffee out of his mouth once he checked the time, "Yikes, I have to report to the Corps in an hour or so," the man bolted out of the comfortable yet regal looking armchair and patted around his pockets for his ring like an idiot. "Mister Jordan," Alfred sighed after a few seconds, holding out the misplaced ring that he had found by the man's chair earlier that morning, the man seeming to have dropped it when he had tried to place it on the table next to the chair before he fell asleep.

"Thanks Alfred," Hal blushed, grabbing the ring and quickly putting it on, his normal clothes being overtaken by the green uniform and his eyes hidden behind his mask. Before he left through the opened window, Hal pointed an accusing finger towards Billy, "Don't think you can shake this old dog off anytime soon, buster," he warned the boy, making the teenager roll his eyes and give a huff as he realized that he had just introduced three protective adults into his rather unconventional life. "Alright dad," he replied sarcastically, giving the man a fake salute, laughing when the man almost fell out of the window from the snarky comment. "Have a good day Hal," Billy called after him after he went to the window to see if the Green Lantern was okay, getting a projected hand bobbing his nose in reply as the man quickly made his way to the intergalactic meeting.

Billy turned back to the other adults with a happy little grin, his face becoming a bit more shy when left with the two more unpredictable men, "Off we go, yeah?" He nervously asked as he scuffed his socked foot against the expensive ornate rug underfoot, his eyes expertly examining the two with a practiced ease. Bruce nodded, making sure that his body language was relaxed, "I'll go wake Dick while Alfred helps you find some swim trunks," Bruce stated before turning to do just that, leaving Alfred to expertly coax the boy into accepting the trunks that he had pulled out of nowhere. Pulling a still groggy and tangled Dick out of bed, Bruce bemusedly gave the young man a run down of what was going on, the nineteen year old only being there after crashing from a late-night patrol. "Yo, Captain Marvel's a small child?" Dick asked in a dazed voice, grumbling as he realized that he had put his sleep shirt on inside out and backwards for the second night in a row, Bruce rolled his eyes at the question. Pot meet kettle much.

"Dick, please don't call him a small child to his face," Bruce sighed, knowing that the young man would probably make a lighthearted joke about the boy's age, "From what I'v seen, he's probably been homeless for a majority of his life and likely orphaned for just as long," the man stated in a blunt manner, knowing that such an explanation would help give Dick a read on the situation at hand, as well as help the man decide on how to act with his teammate. Dick nodded in understanding, a sympathetic look crossing his face, "Got it Bruce, Big Brother mode initiated," he stated with a serious face before making a weird series of noises paired with robotic movements that made Bruce laugh. "Thanks Dick," he smiled warmly at his son and ruffled the young man's hair in thanks, getting a pleased smile in return. Bruce left the hectically messy room with a smile, getting everything prepared for a nice day out on Lake Gotham, the man slightly saddened by the fact that Jason wouldn't be able to join due to his actions and subsequent grounding. He had no idea what he was going to do with the boy.


	5. Team Bonding With the League (Pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rather chaotic mission causes tempers to rise, the members apart of the mission are issued a team-bonding session at a camp site in the middle of nowhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! :))  
> I thought I'd head back in time and dabble around with past interactions between Billy and the League that lead to them getting a little bit closer. So, this chapter would be when he was 14.5 and just establishing himself as one of the heavy-hitters with the league.  
> With the general timeline of this fic, I made it so that Billy received his powers when he was 10 (like in past canon), however, I made it so that he wasn't inducted into the JLA until he was 14 since I feel like the JLA wouldn't really induct a rookie hero into the league without knowing their skill level and their general temperament. So I thought it would make more sense for them to wait a few years before inducting him so that he has a more credible record.  
> Also as a general note, I don't really like the cliche of lost siblings being reunited (Nothing lives up to The Parent Trap tbh), so I won't be writing Mary into this as Billy's weirdly separated twin.  
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)

When working on a team where some of the people are actual strangers, it's often hard to keep your cool when things go to absolute shit. This specific mission had included some of the newer members of the league, as the Big Three and some of the other core members of the league had been discussing adding more members that they could trust for bigger missions. You see, the supply of super-powered/enhanced/trained individuals willing to go on missions stationed out in space was kind of low, as many super-heroes tended to prefer to stay within their comfort levels on Earth. That's all well and good really, however, the core members were starting to feel the strain of having to be in too many places at once added in with the stress of their civilian lives. So yeah, promotions and extra-training was being considered.

Obviously, Captain Marvel was considered due to his godly power and ruthless work ethic. The man volunteered with every single mission, offered to take extra shifts, and often worked on Holidays-- you'd have to be blind to not see how dedicated he was to helping others and wanted to be apart of the league. Some other people that they had added into the mission for secret evaluation had been Booster Gold, Power Girl, another Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), and Vixen. All of them were new or sort of new members that the original seven had been observing for the past few months (a little more closely than other members), they had been taking note of their limitations and their strengths as well as engaging them with regular one-on-one conversations as to gauge how willing they would be to becoming a full time member.

They knew that all of them were eager to be considered for more than non-lethal missions or to be placed on stand-by, yet they all came with something that made the founders and other core members hesitate on giving them more responsibility and trust. For Marvel, he was the newest recruit for the time being and even though he was a pretty consistent power-house so far, they didn't know his weaknesses nor did they know the extent of his powers. Booster Gold acted a little too immature on non-lethal missions and tended to be rather egotistical and more obnoxious then they had initially thought, making him a hard teammate to get along with. Power Girl was in the same boat as Marvel, she was one of the newer recruits who happened to be the older form of Supergirl from a different Earth, okay. But they still knew nothing about her specifically. There were so many Green Lanterns at this point that the addition of Guy wasn't really surprising to the other members, although his sort of recent injury had made it so that he had been healing and unable to do more until now. And finally, Vixen was very eager to do more, yet her powers tended to unsettle them, especially when she would interact with, "The Red," too much and act way too unpredictable for them to be comfortable trusting her with larger missions.

So, a sort-of-lethal-but-not-world-ending mission pops up, and those five were added to the roster with some of the other core members, the Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Superman specifically. They were set on course with Wonder Woman piloting the League issued jet, the Amazonian a little peeved that they hadn't been able to sneak the Invisible Jet into the mission since it was starting to collect dust from lack of use. Power Girl was sitting co-pilot, the kryptonian steadily observing the upcoming enemy territory with a determined look in her eye, the two women having been in a mixture of deep conversation and a nice comfortable silence throughout the flight. Behind the two, Superman and J'onn hadn't been that lucky, as the other four heroes had been going between civil conversation to outright bickering for a good duration of the flight. If Clark could have thrown them out of the plane at this point, he would have tossed them back to Earth like a discus. His patience wasn't even that short really, nor was J'onn's, yet Booster Gold knew exactly how to rile people up.

The time-traveling man had been quiet during the beginning of the flight, sort of allowing a calm to settle before he rocked the peace. Half-way through the flight, Vixen and Marvel had gotten into some weird conversation about magic and how they had been selected by gods, "They're so weird, right?" Marvel had said at some point to the woman filing her long nails. His obvious statement earned him an, "Understatement of the century Cheese," making the man roll his eyes at the nickname. "My Deities are Greek, what belief does yours come from?" He asked the woman curiously, "I received my powers from Anansi the Spider," she parted with the information, not really comfortable to inform everyone that the necklace that she had around her neck acted as her main connection to the being.

Billy tilted his head as Solomon perked up at the mention of the trickster, the pseudo-god seeming to have a love-hate relationship with the being. Having grown used to violence and general weirdness following the mention of the god, Mari clasped her hand around the necklace and hissed at the man like a demonic snake-cat. Given that reaction, Billy rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry, Solomon doesn't really like Anansi for something," Billy explained furrowing his brows in confusion. At the mention of the deity, the little talisman around Vixen's neck lit up a little and jumped against her hand, the Totem sort of vibrating in her hand like a captured mouse. "Weird, Anansi must not like whatever being that is," she chuckled, setting the talisman back against her throat and giving it a pat with a smile. Billy chuckled as well, especially since Solomon started to grumble at the spider and curse it out, "Either way, it's cool to see that I'm not the only God-powered hero on the team," he said and leaned across the aisle to give her a fist-bump. The African woman rolled her eyes and smiled at the childish action before fist-bumping him, quickly pulling him into a complicated handshake that Billy somehow managed to follow. 

"Aww, I wish I knew someone who came from the future," Booster whined, making everyone roll their eyes at the young man who was taking up an entire seat with his stretched out form. "I mean," he started his complaining, sitting up fully, "Superman and Power Girl know other Kryptonians, Martian Manhunter knows other Martians, you know other Green Lanterns," he pointed accusingly towards Guy. The ginger looked up with a confused expression from how intensely he had been tuning Booster out, "Wonder Woman knows other Amazonians, and you two know each other," he pointed at the black woman and the Champion, making the two exchange annoyed looks. "Other people are bound to come from the future Booster," Superman reassured the man, wanting to nip the argument in the bud before it escalated into something idiotic that would perpetrate the entire ride, really wanting to finish the article that he was secretly typing on his communicator.

Booster scoffed, "Sure, and Louis Lane will marry Clark Kent," the random dis towards the Investigative Journalist made everyone but J'onn narrow their eyes in confusion while Clark's fingers stopped typing on the phone as to look up at the man. "Uh, okay?" He played dumb while inside he was really annoyed with the time-traveler bringing up his civilian identity and his girlfriend, making him a bit paranoid if the man was being truthful about their relationship. "I mean, the guy's a nerd, I don't see why she would go for him when she knows Bruce Wayne," Clark narrowed his eyes slightly, coming to the conclusion that the man was pulling his leg and trying to get a rise out of him since Clark knew that those two would never date. I mean, they easily got on each others nerves with how similar they were to each other and they loved being able to make fun of him behind his back. Something the both of them would never give up for sex or money.

"Okay Booster, why don't you focus on something other than cheap gossip?" Clark replied with an eye-roll, the unprofessional action and sort of saucy retort startling the others since they didn't know Superman even had it in him to be saucy. "Indeed, why don't we just go back to meaningful conversation, this petty talk is making me lose brain-cells, as you humans like to say," J'onn added with a stoic expression, having put down his Romance novel to give Booster a look. Guy sighed in relief as Booster was effectively shut-up, the man now able to go back to grading his kids' papers in peace while Mari went back to filing her nails and Billy decided to meditate.

Being closest to Marvel, Booster decided to annoy the man-secretly-teenage hero. Standing up roughly ten minutes after the conversation with Clark, Booster sidled over to Billy and loudly flopped against him, not even jostling him due to how invincible the form was. Billy looked over to the man and sighed at the look on his face, "Yes?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow, his tone still rather polite for someone who had just gotten flopped on. "You know 'Cap, it's pretty weird to see you so young," Booster drawled with a mischievous smile, making Billy straighten up and blink at the time-traveler, "Wha--?" He began, although Booster just talked over him, "Dude, like, you're probably shorter than my twelve year old sister, you're probably so small," he exclaimed, making Billy's face flush and a little electricity nervously skirt around his form as his panic rose at the thought of the man outing his identity.

"Booster, please stop antagonizing other teammates before I write you up," Superman ordered the man with a serious tone as he turned to face the duo, not liking how unsettled Marvel appeared. Booster put his hands up in surrender, "It's just, the guy's practically a baby, how am I supposed to not say something?" He asked, making everyone look at Billy in confusion while Billy gulped and blushed even more. "Just because I was formed recently doesn't mean that I'm actually a baby Booster," Billy gritted his teeth at the time-traveler, a little more than done with him trying to give away his identity, "I am the avatar of the Gods, I hold vast-less knowledge and power at my finger-tips beyond your mortal comprehension," he added as he glared at the man, unknowing to the fact that his eyes were slightly glowing with a white ring-- an indication that Zeus was unintentionally being channeled. "Unless you wish to be smote mortal, speak no more on this subject, as the Gods are listening," an almost comically stoic and ominous tone came from the usually cheerful hero, the atmosphere in the jet appearing to become almost lead-like and forcing the hair on everyone's arms standing up. Even though Billy hadn't gotten up from his cross-legged position, everyone instinctually moved away from him with the change in character, Booster practically dove off of the seat while the others scooted a bit, almost petrified by the power.

The bang of Booster's body hitting the metal floor of the jet forced Billy out of the Zeus-induced haze, allowing him to him to shake himself out of the God's influence. Spotting the tense forms of his teammates, Billy blinked even more in confusion, "Yikes, I blanked out a bit there," he apologized, "I think Zeus was trying to say something," he added as he felt the residual energy within the form. Given this weird explanation and apparent peace, the others turned to glare at Booster, the shaken time-traveler gulping under the spotlight. "Consider yourself written up," Clark sighed as he pinched his eyebrows in exasperation, a little shaken by how close Booster had gotten to getting smote over something that seemed rather minor. "Although, please try to keep your Gods from threatening teammates Marvel, I don't think that facilitates good team bonding," Clark snarked a little, wanting the tense atmosphere to leave the jet so that he could have a few moments of peace before they had to deal with a gang of malicious, alien hooligans, thank you.

Billy gasped loudly and gave Booster a worried look, "Oh my Gods, I'm sorry about that, he's--they've never done that to someone in such a direct manner," he fiddled with his white cape in poorly concealed embarrassment and concern, "Are you okay Booster?" He asked the young man with an earnest look in his eye, making the man feel bad all over for picking on the sweet kid. Sitting up more properly from his flopped position on the floor, Booster ruffled his hair in an embarrassed manner, "Yeah, sorry for bothering you kid," Booster slipped on the term, something that Billy brushed off as he held his hand out for the man. Booster sort of timidly grabbed his hand and was gently tugged up to his feet after a little jolt of electricity that came with touching Marvel, ending up awkwardly sitting next to the kid and getting into a discussion about technology in the future, the peaceful conversation making everyone hesitantly relax once more.

This peace (with some bickering) would last until the group came to the outskirt of the intergalactic gang territory. "Be alert everyone," Wonder Woman warned the group in the back as she double checked that the space ships stealth features were on, "We're heading into enemy territory with the intention to arrest and bring members in, self-defense is permitted if they act violently," she reminded them once they gave her their attention. J'onn stood up and brought out the respiratory devices for the heroes who needed oxygen, "Suit up and I'll take the first wave in, back-up must remain on the ship until needed," he added, the previously mentioned information from the beginning of the mission being told once more since he was sure that some of them would have forgotten the orders.

Billy stood up, subtly channeling the Courage of Achilles as he felt pre-battle jitters wrack his form, coming shoulder to shoulder with a determined looking Green Lantern and Vixen while Booster, Power Girl, and Superman acted as back-up with Wonder Woman manning the jet in case they had to make a quick retreat. Vixen grabbed a respirator and hooked it up easily, the black woman channeling into her own source of power as to become more enhanced like the other three. She focused on obtaining super-strength that stemmed from the Dung Beetle, flight from the Peregrine Falcon, and heightened hearing from moths, the respiratory device making it easier for her to focus her attention on these enhancements than on breathing. Once everyone was all set, the four of them stepped into an air-lock chamber as to safely leave the aircraft without making the ship implode.

"We will need to act swift as their brain-waves indicate that they are unaware of our presence," J'onn informed them as they entered the vacuum of space, the Martian having briefly dipped into the minds of the inhabitants of the base that rested behind the boulder that they were hiding behind, the jet having long since been cloaked as to blend into the vast stretch of the universe. The others nodded in understanding, all of them having prepared themselves for the battle plan that Wonder Woman and the other two founders had stormed up. Marvel and Vixen were given the job of causing a major distraction, the two being ordered to take the front of the shoddy base while Guy and J'onn attacked the back-- effectively cornering any escaping gang members as they had scoped out the two exits.

"You ready Vix?" Billy asked the African woman as he watched the other two stealthily make their way to the back, the floating debris and rock formations hiding their forms brilliantly. Rolling her eyes at the nickname, Mari gave a thumbs-up and cloaked her form with a Chameleon inspired technique as she tested her control on the Red, still rather new to adding a diverse amount of modifications through the power source. "You?" She asked him once she was settled, her thin arms blending into the rock formation as the rest of her body disappeared into the environment around them like the jet, making Billy look around in confusion when he glanced over his shoulder to reply to her. Vixen chuckled and tapped his arm, "Sorry, I thought to blend in," she explained, making Billy blush, "Er, yeah, I should have guessed that," he laughed, his soft reply was cut off by the signal that the other two gave over their communicators.

Billy gave her a thumbs-up and pushed off of the boulder, his eyes glowing with a pure white energy as he stormed into the heavy metal gate, the defenses pelting his form left no marks as he soared through the entrance. The metal crumbled under the force of his power, allowing Vixen to easily follow after him as his electricity short-circuited the defense mechanism. Landing on the metal with a slight click of his heeled boots, Billy expertly disarmed the gang members that ran towards him with the vast amount of hand-to-hand combat knowledge that Solomon was providing him, Vixen easily taking out the other portion of members by surprise with her disguised form. Easily finishing up the first line of defense, Billy and Mari made sure that they were all knocked out and tied up for Power Girl and Superman to pick up as they secured the ship, not wanting anyone to escape before they were called in. Billy moved onto the door and put it back against the hole in the chamber, making sure that it was closed tightly by welding the metal back to the frame with his lightning.

While Marvel secured the entrance, Vixen sent the signal that they had gotten the entrance cleared, quickly getting a positive message back over the communicator. "They're good done there, we can start the sweep," she told her teammate as she released the disguise, moving on to focusing more deeply on her other enhancements as she didn't want to lose her concentration and blow the mission. "Got it," he replied in affirmative, the two splitting up to look down the halls once they opened the doors for the airlock chamber and quickly taking out everyone that they encountered on the way. Everything was going pretty swell until Billy fell head-first into the grasp of some tentacle beast, the slight slope of the room making him lose his balance as the creature grabbed his waist and tugged on him. Letting out a little gasp and shriek, Billy quickly electrocuted the slimy tentacle holding him as he hurriedly alerted the others of the situation, the little text reading, "Mnstr grabbed me, resists lightning," before he was unexpectedly tossed into the air.

The aim for the toss was straight for the monsters little mouth, the beasts stout form at the bottom of the room held down by some futuristic chains. Pulling himself out of the trajectory for the mouth, Billy flew towards the very top of the ceiling, not able to leave the room as the being blocked his exit with it's sticky limbs. Billy took a few deep breaths as to calm his jittery heart, his back pressed against the corner of the room while the beast stretched its limbs to the farthest they could go as to get its meal. Billy heard a wet blast of something exploding through a tentacle and looked to see Booster at the front of the room, Vixen having clearly been too far or preoccupied with something to have forced the time-traveler to be sent out. They both watched the tentacle reform from where Booster had destroyed it with exasperated looks, "You're gonna have to make a dash for it once I cut it again," Booster yelled over the sounds of the beast licking his fanged mouth, its shrieks of pain were overcome with the joy of having two meals. It's limbs thrashed about in excitement, rising to a fever pitch of anticipation and blood-lust that unsettled the two humans. Billy threw a thumbs-up and easily channeled the Speed of Mercury once he saw the man cut the limb with his futuristic wrist blasters, swerving around the blast and gently maneuvering around Booster's leaner form.

Billy pulled the door close while still utilizing the super speed, the world slowing down before his eyes as he ended up shoulder-to-shoulder with Booster in the small hallway. Booster quickly moved out of the claustrophobic position and patted Billy's shoulder, "Alright-y kid, time to join the other three in the center," he told the teenager as he moved to lead the way, Vixen having taken on sweeping through her and Billy's portion of the ship when she taped into super speed. Billy gave a nod and followed the man, keeping his eyes open while glancing towards his sort of embedded costume that came with the form, the fabric disintegrating from the acidic touch of the creature. "Weird," he muttered to himself, reassured by Solomon when the pseudo-god told him that it wouldn't injure both of the forms as it was only strong enough to eat through where it had touched the fabric-- leaving Billy with a slightly tattered two-piece of a uniform, looking like a weird Coachella attendee.

Booster laughed when he glimpsed back at the Champion, earning a disappointed glare from J'onn when the two came to the center of the head-quarters right as the three had gotten the leader under control. "I'm not going to ask," J'onn stated simply as he continued to rifle through the files that littered the room, the Martian having ordered Guy to keep a close hold on the slippery criminal and for them to watch their downed henchmen. Billy surveyed the large, futuristic chambers with toned down excitement, blatantly ignoring the wolf-whistle that the non-binary gang leader let out at the sight of him.

"And I thought Big Blue was handsome," they sort of drooled, earning rather annoyed looks from everyone, "That Earth league is just packed with delicious looking humans," Shard continued to comment on the league, having been mid-rant before the other two had entered the room. The carnivorous being was brightly colored, their fluorescent blue skin and bug-like eyes creating an eerie picture of an Angler-fish, especially with their sharp teeth. Billy didn't really mind their comments since he had to deal with people thinking he was a child prostitute on a sickeningly daily basis, so he kind of just shrugged them off and continued to survey the room. You see, while Shard may have been tied up, their body language was a little too relaxed for him to be comfortable in the room.

Booster was yapping at his shoulder, the man's elbows colliding with his crossed arms as he kept an observant eye on the room, accidentally making eye-contact with the captured leader and some of their downed henchmen and women. "Hey Lightning-Man, why don't you come over here?" The fish-looking alien crooned towards him, making Billy roll his eyes and ignore Booster's teasing and jabbing. "Don't be a tease Cap," Booster laughed, making Guy and Vixen look over at the man with un-amused looks, the two keeping their positions alert for any funny business.

Billy side-eyed Booster and remained where he was, happily sighing when J'onn was able to find all of the files that they needed and was able to copy the digital ones on a brightly colored flash-drive with a mini-Martian Manhunter figure on it. "We're all set for extraction," he informed the others as he stepped around the large computer and repeated the information to the other three on the mission before turning towards the captured leader. "Outcast Shauillse M'zzon, other wise known as Shard, you and your accomplices have been charged with criminal behaviors relating to drug- trafficking and thief," he formally recounted their offenses as he went through the process of securing them for the transfer. "On behalf of the Justice League, you are being taken in by myself and my own accomplices," he then finished off the rather boring speech, the words ingrained into his very being with how often he has had to state it at this point in his superhero career.

They each took a group of gang members for the extraction, however, they didn't get too far into the maze-like corridors before Shard let out a distinctive signal that made all of the league members go on high alert. "What did you call?" Vixen seethed at the being, making them smirk at the angry animal themed hero holding their extended hand-cuffs, "Pretty boy over there should be familiar with Trix," they laughed as their eyes flickered towards the godly being standing near-by them, "She loves to play with her food," they explained as they all heard the distinctive sound of something slamming against metal. All of the justice leaguers shared a wide-eyed look before Billy and Guy brought everyone back to motion by picking up their respective criminals, an action that made Vixen and Booster pick up their own bounded gang members and they all booked it towards the entrance of the ship.

Coming to the control board that was hooked up to the air chamber, J'onn expertly disabled the instant-lock system just as they heard the metal door of the containment room for 'Trix' slam against the opposite wall. Shard continued to call towards their pet, making Vixen angrily clench her clawed hands as she tried to focus her energy towards maintaining her animal traits with the obnoxious cooing and calls in her ear. The doors opened just as they caught a glimpse of a green tentacle, the weird beast moving a little faster once it sensed the presence of other life forces. Everyone rushed into the chamber and Billy (after gently setting the criminal he had on the floor) forced the door close when the creature pressed its tentacle against the gradually decreasing opening. Her tentacle was caught in the frame, her skin getting sliced by the quick motion and the green appendage wrapped around Billy's arm as it began to flop around, looking for something to stabilize it.

The acidic skin tingled against his arm as it convulsively tightened around the form's muscular limb, squeezing hard enough to make him hiss out in discomfort. Everyone was sort of screaming and yelling out in shock at the weird limb (besides J'onn, who merely raising his eyebrows in surprise), although their focus would turn into straight up concern as 'Trix' slammed her muscular body against the air chamber, her ear-drum shattering shrieks making most of them flinch. "We gotta get out of here," Guy stated as he observed the creature with an anxious eye, and everyone nodded in agreement. Vixen reactivated the breathing device that she had used before-hand while Guy was ordered to surround the criminals with his energy, begrudgingly allowing a newly breathing-masked Booster to grab him. J'onn opened the previously fixed entrance and they were able to leave the confining chamber.

The base imploded behind them as the crack within the air chamber allowed the ship to crumble within itself, effectively crushing the green tentacle creature. "Damn," Billy breathed out in awe at the sight, only having been able to glance back once over his shoulder when he heard the sounds of metal crushing into metal. "That's wack," he mumbled, flinching slightly as the relatively harmless tentacle around his arm tightened once more. The group of them made it back to the camouflaged ship, the 'rookie' members growing a little on edge when they spotted a tiny, black ship that was a similar but smaller version of the ship that they had taken out tied against the main ship. "Looks like Batman's here," J'onn sighed out as he felt their empathetic link sync up as they came into range of one another, the man having given the martian permission to establish the finicky and conditional link after MANY years of working together. Billy, Guy, and Mari shared a three-way look of fear and anticipation while Booster scoffed and said something relatively demeaning about the man that incorporated some sort of bat pun.

The five of them entered the containment portion of the ship as to drop off the gang members in their highly enforced cells, and headed to the little elevator that would take them to the main control room of the ship. Once there, the four 'rookie' members cringed at the distinctly disappointed frown on Bruce's lips, the man obviously not happy with how hectic the mission had gone. "We expected better out of you four," he grumbled once they got settled in the main room and Wonder Woman began to start the flight back to the watchtower, the man slightly bit his tongue as to not exclude Booster from the group standards. Bruce also eyed the tentacle that was still wrapped around Marvel's forearm, the thing having decided to sneak around and wrap itself more fully around his arm. "However," his addition made them all look over to him in surprise while Power Girl quirked her eyebrow at the man, not really sure how he could find any good in that performance. "I thought you all did some good problem solving, but your down fall came from your lack of team skills," Bruce gave them the criticism as he looked them with a pointed stare while Clark and J'onn nodded in exasperated agreement

"To help fix this weakness, we have decided that team-bonding is vital to bring all of you closer," Bruce concluded, having to hold back a deep chuckle/snicker as just about everyone of the 'rookie' members groaned out in annoyance, "and that includes higher-ups that were apart of this mission as well," Bruce told the three of them. The groans rose in volume as J'onn and Superman threw betrayed looks at the masked man, their patience already wearing thin at the mere thought of spending more time with Booster. Bruce didn't have to be a master detective to deduce that things were about to get interesting in La Casa de la Justicia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao, I've been so busy with classes that I blinked and it was suddenly mid-January.  
> My fics have kind of hit the back-burner cause it's the dreaded mid-term week(s), so-- :)))  
> I won't discontinue any of my stories (I'm actually planning on writing more ;0), it's just a lot of juggling and burn-outs as I finish portfolios and junk.  
> So, I hope you guys continue to enjoy these stories :) and don't be afraid to request any prompts/things you'd like to see me write !! (I'll eventually get to them, I pinky promise <33)<3


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